Second Time Series
by stix04
Summary: Follow-up to Rachel's Second Time
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, thanks for reading and commenting. There will be a chapter two to this; it was getting ridiculously long. After the second chapter I'm not sure if I will continue but I probably will. I'll keep each update as completed like the other two though. Hope you enjoy. _

The clock chimed loudly, reverberating around the room as though they were sitting amongst an empty hall and not a comfortable living room. Both girls scanned the space as they fought to discover some course to start the conversation.

They were so far unsuccessful.

_What the hell is happening to me?_ Quinn thought, biting her lip as she shifted nervously, trying and failing not to stare at the girl seated on the couch across from her own. Color flooded her pale features as she recalled how uncontrolled she had been only an hour before. How a simple kiss turned into the quite unexpected encounter at the mall, in a noisy arcade, in the tiny photo booth.

_Have I gone completely insane? Sleeping with Rachel in public? With S and Puck right outside? Scratch all that, just _sleeping_ with Rachel _again_ is grounds for a visit to the psych ward!_

In truth, Quinn could barely recall what she had been thinking. She remembers little that has to do with logic. What she could evoke is the musky, mouthwatering smell of Rachel that surrounded her as they stood inside the booth. How the sound of the brunette's heavy breathing caused her own breath to expel sharply. That Rachel's deep brown eyes, warm and intense, pleaded with her to do something, _anything_ to the girl.

Quinn Fabray wanted to groan out loud with the onslaught of confusion that was weighing on her. She could hardly sit there and deny all responsibility when the scent of Rachel was still so strong on her fingers. That she came on reaction alone; the sounds, smells, and feel of the brunette were the cause of her orgasm.

This, perhaps, was the most mortifying thing of all for the blonde. Not only did she pull a Finn, but it was now blatantly obvious that Rachel aroused her—that she was attracted to the shorter girl so much that she didn't even need to be touched to express it.

And Quinn hated showing her hand. In fact, she _loathed_ it. She couldn't recall a day when she wore her heart on her sleeve, unlike her counterpart. Even through stress and baby hormones the blonde was able to keep her defenses up, fighting for survival but not giving herself away.

It was how she had remained popular for all that time. It was how she had been able to fool so many.

And now her foil sat only two feet away, fluffing her skirt absentmindedly as her emotions swam across her yearning features.

_Rachel Berry, I hate you,_ Quinn thought as her eyes slammed shut; desperate to block out the brunette.

And perhaps Quinn could convince herself of that very idea…if it weren't for the fact that when her eyes weren't gazing at the diva, they flickered to the daisies that rested in a beautiful crystal vase on the end table beside her. And if that soft fluttering in her stomach didn't make itself known whenever she did.

Rachel Berry, for her part, was completely dumbfounded. If she weren't so pleased by what happened in the photo booth, she might have been able to convince herself that it didn't even happen at all.

_How could I've let things get so far? How could I've allowed Quinn to touch me like that, in a public forum, in an icky photo booth? Have I gone completely insane? And furthermore, why can I _not_ think of one thing to say? _

Rachel's thoughts were a disjointed mix of sense memory and elaborate fantasies. Usually her speech came out in a chaotic jumble mostly because her mind worked so quickly. Right now her mind was mush. Every time her brain tried to grasp onto a sentence, question, even an argument, something from earlier that day or the previous night would flit across her eyes and she'd be reduced to a quivering mess again.

And when she was relieved from remembering, her hyperactive brain would start thinking up fantasies for further exploration with the blonde and heart-fluttering situations where Quinn would declare her eternal and ever-present love to Rachel in a varying of ways—Rachel's favorite include an auditorium full of people listening to the blonde belt her desires out to the brunette before the pair would dash off to a horse-drawn carriage, destined to elope, as soft white flakes melted on their warm cheeks as they kissed in the snow.

There was no shortage of fantasies.

And that is why the two girls sat in silence at the Fabray residence. Their heads were so full of thoughts that neither could find a way to get the ball rolling.

It had been nearly an hour since they had returned from the mall, and yet, nothing had been solved.

_I can get away with last night because we were drunk,_ Quinn mused. _And maybe I can cover-up today with saying that I didn't want Rachel to hear the rumor. And maybe Rachel didn't even notice that I…orgasmed._ Quinn winced at the thought, at heart still uncomfortable with sex and all its lingo. _There is no reason to panic. I can deny my attraction and threaten Berry into a life-long vow of silence and call it a day_.

"May I please have a glass of water?" Quinn's head snapped up to meet Rachel's eyes; they were dark and intense.

"Uh…sure." For only a moment the blonde hesitated. Her first instinct was to tell the brunette to go in the kitchen and get her own glass of water. But there was something in the young diva's expression that got Quinn to bite back the remark. "Be right back." She mumbled, hurriedly stumbling to the kitchen.

In her absence Rachel jumped up from the couch and fumbled with the hem of her sweater. She tossed it aside along with the camisole beneath it and moved on to her skirt. She wiggled and twisted until it pooled at her ankles and kicked it away. The brunette could hear Quinn shutting a cabinet and threw herself on top of the couch quickly to get into position—spread along the couch, arm bent, resting on the armrest with a look of seduction on her face. Only her panties, thigh-high socks, and loafers were left.

_On or off, on or off?_ Rachel thought as she swiftly debated the pros and cons of the semi-slutty librarian look.

"Can I also have some fresh fruit, please?" Rachel called out to stall for time. She wasn't exactly sure what Quinn's taste was and she didn't want to come off too harlot-y in her attempt to seduce the blonde; all her fantasies were making Rachel rather horny. Sitting on the Fabray's clean, fresh white couch completely naked seemed a little crude, however, leaving on the panties, socks, and shoes could be construed as over-kill; especially this early in their courtship.

In the kitchen, Quinn grumbled and rolled her eyes as she pulled out the ever-present fruit salad her mother kept around. She sloppily spooned some into a bowl and ripped open a drawer to grab a fork before she slammed it shut.

"I take my ice chipped!" Quinn clicked her tongue at Rachel's request and nosily opened the silverware drawer again to retrieve a knife.

" 'I take my ice chipped'" Quinn mocked as she started stabbing at the ice within the glass cup, getting water to slop over the sides. Why was she doing this for Rachel? And furthermore, why didn't she really mind? Her hissy fit was completely due to the fact that she _wasn't_ protesting at all; almost as thought she _wanted_ to do things for the brunette. And she hated it almost as much as she didn't understand it.

The water in one hand and the fruit salad in the other, Quinn made her way back into the living room. But once she caught sight of Rachel, clad now in her red camisole and matching cotton panties—the brunette thought it more tasteful-the blonde let the glass and fruit salad tumble from her hands and clatter to the floor.

For the life of her, Rachel Berry couldn't bring herself to ask Quinn if she "sees something she likes." The utter shock on the blonde's features was making her increasingly more self-conscious and it took everything in her not to cover herself up in humiliation. She just lay there watching a thousand different emotions fly across the blonde's face in astonishment as she bit her lip and waited.

"W-what…Rach…what the hell are you doing?" Quinn hissed as though Rachel sprawled out half-naked on her mother's white couch could be _overheard_ by the neighbors. The blonde even looked around the room quickly to make sure the blinds were drawn.

"Trying to seduce you? Is it working?" Quinn gaped and stuttered as she fought to look away from the lavish sight—Rachel happened to be on the blonde's favorite couch, and the couch was holding her favorite…

_Favorite, what, Quinn?_ She thought to herself as she stood, routed in her spot as her brain tried to grabble with what was happening; gawking at Rachel with a mix of shock and lust.

"Rachel! What are you doing?" She repeated as her body snapped into action. She sped over to the couch and whipped the blanket that lay behind it to drape over Rachel's shoulders before she pulled out of arm's length from the girl; if she covered the brunette up, she wouldn't be tempted.

"I've already explained my intentions, Quinn. I thought that after the photo booth-"

"That was different." The blonde dismissed, waving her hand as though she could get rid of the event all together.

"Is that because you initiated it? Are you one of those women that must be in control at all times?" Rachel inquired curiously.

"W-what?"

"I believe that they are called 'tops,'" Rachel explained as she adjusted the blanket more securely around her shoulders and sat up. "Although I recall vividly that last evening you did a fair amount of bottoming-"

"Rachel stop talking!" Quinn exclaimed, mortified by the conversation.

"I was merely trying to express to you that you are not the only eager participate in this affair and that-"

"Raaaccchheeelll!" Quinn groaned, covering her face with her hands as she felt her cheeks flair up.

"Quinn Fabray, whether you chose to acknowledge it or not, we made love, on two separate occasions, and I for one would like to get to the bottom of this! You cannot, in all good consciousness, refuse me an explanation after I gave you my virginity!-"

This time Quinn didn't cut Rachel off, but the sound of the front door opening did the trick. Rachel shrieked, leapt from the couch throwing the blanket off as she did, grabbed her folded clothes—she couldn't strip in the Fabray residence and _not_ fold her discarded clothes!-and raced to the steps, taking two at a time as she went, as she made a mad dash towards Quinn's room—naked as the day is long.

But Quinn had yet to react to the sounds of her mother entering the house. She stood frozen in front of the now vacant couch, mouth wide open, eyes like saucers, as she processed what Rachel had just said.

"Berry was a virgin!" Quinn whispered, beyond shocked. Not necessarily because it was so hard to believe…just that she hadn't thought about it. Rachel had never said anything the night before. The blonde racked her brain for clues but couldn't remember anything from her jumbled memories of the drunken evening that could enforce Rachel's words.

Her eyes scanned the room, unseeing, and it wasn't until Judy Fabray touched her daughter's arm that Quinn jumped back to the present.

"Mom!" The younger blonde shouted, completely caught off-guard.

"Quinn, dear, are you all right? You're white as a sheet?"

"I'm…fine…" Quinn muttered as she collapsed down onto the couch Rachel was just on.

Judy sat down in a high-backed chair and started lamenting about her day as Quinn stared off into space, her mind whirling.

"Quinn?"

"Huh?" Quinn asked, her head jerking up at the sound of her name.

"Are you sure you're quite all right?" The young blonde nodded dumbly.

"Well if you're feeling fine, can you please clean up that mess on the floor?" Judy asked, a hint of an edge in her voice. "And after that we can discuss the terms of your punishment."

"Sure mom." Quinn was on auto-pilot as she got on her hands and knees and cleaned up the spilled fruit and water. Judy stood over her, speaking in her most authoritative voice—which wasn't too convincing—about underage drinking and respecting elders.

Quinn got none of the lecture, too lost in her own thoughts.

"…Although I supposed I could be persuaded to let it slide if you reconsidered moving in?" Judy asked hopefully as she followed her daughter into the kitchen where Quinn disposed of the fallen fruit. Judy wasn't the disciplinarian in the Fabray household; that was always Russell's job. And although Judy wasn't _thrilled_ with the vodka or mess she had found earlier that morning, she didn't want to punish Quinn because then her daughter would never move back in with her.

"What mom?" Quinn asked distractedly.

"I was just saying that if you moved back in that we could start over fresh and I wouldn't punish you for drinking last night and leaving a mess." Quinn nodded, not really listening, before it suddenly occurred to her that there was a naked Rachel Berry upstairs in her room.

"I-I'll think about it mom. Um…but I have to…toooo…I have to go speak to Coach Sylvester today so we'll talk after."

Quinn was still lost in her own thoughts and didn't hear as her mother praised her daughter for speaking to her old Cheerios coach. The young blonde, instead, just hurried up to her bedroom.

_This is getting nuts_. Quinn thought as she hesitated outside the door, hand on the knob.

The blonde left the mall and had brought Rachel back to her house so that she wouldn't be confronted with the rumor she had started. Now that the brunette was there, Quinn had no idea what she was required to discuss. The blonde didn't want to discuss anything.

"In a perfect world we'd just continue sleeping together and never under any circumstances discuss it. With anyone. Ever." Quinn mumbled to herself just outside her bedroom before she promptly winced at how easily she admitted to wanting to continue sleeping with Rachel.

Sure, it was okay that she was friends with Rachel. Everyone in glee club was now. That wasn't too big a deal. And Finn and Puck could date Rachel without too much hassle…

The part that was tripping Quinn up was the _feelings_ aspect. She had them. And to the blonde, that was never good. So therefore, like any self-respecting WASP, she was denying they even existed and not examining them further. They were just there. Locked tightly away.

Quinn took a deep breath and steeled herself before she opened the bedroom door and peered in. "Rachel?" The blonde whispered, looking around the apparently empty bedroom.

Rachel poked her head out from underneath the bed. She still looked terrified. "Is your mother still here?" She asked nervously.

"Yep." Quinn collapsed onto her bed as Rachel shimmied out from underneath. The blonde was pleased to see that the diva was dressed…well…mostly dressed. She had put her sweater over the camisole but she was still just in her panties with her skirt clutched tightly in her fist. The brunette was so horrified with the sudden appearance of Judy Fabray that she had forgotten to continue dressing.

Rachel stood at the foot of the bed, wringing her hands and biting her lip; the picture of anxiety. "I'm sorry for my inappropriate display downstairs."

Quinn shrugged as she picked at her comforter.

"Had I known that your mother would be arriving home from working early I wouldn't have done that." Rachel continued, scared by the blonde's silence.

Tentatively, Rachel sat on the bed opposite Quinn. "Quinn…we need to talk about this." Rachel sounded scared now and Quinn huffed a little and folded her arms across her chest.

"Why?" Rachel blanched at the question.

"Why? Because we slept together and I think we need to discuss the reasons behind it and what it means in regards to-"

"Yeah, but why do we need to talk about it? I mean, did you enjoy yourself? Did you have fun or whatever? It's not a big deal, Rachel, and I think it would be better if we just left well enough alone." The blonde hissed.

Quinn avoided eye contact, knowing that Rachel was looking at her with hurt-filled eyes. Did the blonde want to comfort the brunette? Yes. Did she want to be sweeter, kinder, and gentler? Yes. But it would go against how she had been raised; taught to behave.

You didn't date for passion. You didn't marry for love. Quinn knew her sister didn't get hitched to the Christian man who owned a chain of UPS stores because she was crazy about him. Just like Quinn didn't date Finn because his dopiness was charming to her. It's just what you did. You were paired with someone who would benefit you in the long-run.

They would continue seeing each in private—since Rachel was obvious ashamed of Quinn just as much as Quinn was freaked out by her own feelings—and whatever would come of it would just be.

"You cannot be serious." Rachel admonished. "I'm sorry, Quinn, but that is not how I handle life."

"Well it's not like you want to tell anyone about us." Quinn grumbled, still not meeting Rachel's eye.

"And I explained my reasoning to you, Quinn."

"Yeah, I'm not good enough, I remember."

"That is not it, it's just that-"

"Whatever. Can we talk about this later? I have somewhere I have to be." The blonde slipped off her bed and went over to her closet for a change of clothes. She knew if she was meeting with Sue Sylvester she'd have to look the part—meaning she'd have to show her old coach that she was in shape.

"When?" Rachel asked, sighing loudly and turned to watch Quinn leaf though her old Cheerios practice outfits.

"I don't know, Rachel. I'll come by later." The brunette rubbed her head in frustration.

"My fathers are going out to dinner tonight. Their reservation is at seven-fifteen. Can you come by then?" Without turning around, Quinn just nodded.

"If you didn't want to pursue a relationship with me, Quinn, all you had to do-"

"I didn't say that!" Quinn said before she could filter herself. She had spun around to finally face Rachel and the brunette was a little surprised with the girl's tone. She sounded almost desperate. "Look. I'll come by tonight or whatever and we'll talk."

Smiling softly, Rachel nodded.

"Give me a minute and I'll drive you home." The blonde mumbled as she reluctantly turned back to route through her closet.

"Oh, that's not necessary. I already phoned Tina and Artie and they said they'd be happy to pick me up from here." Rachel informed Quinn as she sat down on the foot of the blonde's bed. "I hope you don't mind, I used your house phone to call them. Since your mother still has mine held hostage."

"I don't mind." Quinn answered, distracted. Actually, she did mind. Not that Rachel had used her phone, but that Tina and Artie were picking Rachel up. As far as the blonde was concerned, if she feigned annoyance about her and Rachel's relationship, it would seem that she wasn't emotionally involved; which she kind of was. And she couldn't just kiss Rachel goodbye in her bedroom before their fellow glee members arrived; it would make Rachel suspicious that she had feelings.

But if she had the opportunity to drop Rachel off—walk her to her front door—well it was almost a law or something that you had to make out with the person that gave you the ride home!

Regardless, Quinn felt awkward and frustrated—completely angry with herself for having any feelings, never mind feelings for Rachel Berry, and she wasn't about to suggest a make out-fest with the diva. Whether that was what she wanted to do or not. And furthermore, Rachel was still just holding her skirt. _Why hasn't she put the damn thing on yet?_ Quinn huffed as she flicked through shirt after shirt in her closet.

Quinn was promptly thrown out of her musings when there was a knock on her door. "It's my mother!" She whispered, terrified. She quickly spun around to face Rachel, both girls with wide eyes, before Quinn grabbed the half-naked brunette and unceremoniously threw her into her closet. "Just a second!" She squeaked to the person behind the door.

"Put your damn skirt on, Berry!" Quinn scolded in a whisper before she quickly closed the closet door, inspected her flushed appearance in her full-length mirror, and yanked her bedroom door open.

"Hi, Quinn!" The blonde's mouth dropped open at the sight of Tina standing in her doorway. She gaped at the shyly smiling Asian and looked over her shoulder to make sure Rachel hadn't popped out of her closet half-naked.

From downstairs she could hear her mother and Artie talking and suddenly Quinn couldn't breathe properly as beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Uh…T-Tina…uhhhh…h-hi." In a nervous gesture, Quinn pushed her messy hair behind her ears and stood in the doorway, guarding Tina's entry.

"You know that my stutter was fake, right Quinn, you don't have to make fun of me." Tina said, grinning a little at how nervous the blonde suddenly appeared.

"What are you doing here?" Quinn rushed out, forgetting that Rachel had called the pair for a ride.

"To get Rachel? She said she was here?" Tina was back to being her nervous self. She almost choked on the pretzel Artie had bought her at the mall when Rachel called and asked if they could pick the diva up at the Fabrays'.

The other glee kids had been wondering where the two had gone—fearing for Rachel's life, and also curious because Puck had told them that Santana had confirmed the rumor—and was surprised that they were together.

When Quinn just stood there, silent yet still terrified, Tina continued. "Your mom said that Rachel wasn't here, but I was _sure_ Rachel had said 'Quinn's house.'"

"Uh, ummmmm…" Usually the blonde was quick on her feet and a natural-born liar. But she was in a bit of a pickle. Quinn's mother didn't know Rachel was there. If Rachel had been sitting on the Fabray's couch when Judy had gotten home, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But since she _hadn't _been on the couch and Quinn _didn't_ mention anything to her mother, it looked suspicious.

And likewise, if Rachel had just been sitting on Quinn's bed and not hiding in the closet, Quinn would have no problem admitting to Tina that the brunette was there. But again, her hiding seemed suspicious.

"She's…yeah, she's here." Quinn finally confirmed, stepping aside to let Tina into her room. "It's just that…my mom doesn't know that she's here…so…when you knocked…I thought you were my mom…annnnd, Rachel hid in the closet." Quinn finished, folding her arms across her chest and quirking her eyebrow as though she was daring Tina to call her on her lie.

"Oh, okay." Tina giggled as she looked around Quinn's room. "Cool picture." She said, motioning to the framed painting of Jesus over the blonde's couch. "What band's he in?" She asked as she plopped down onto Quinn's bed.

Quinn didn't know if Tina was being serious or not, but she was momentarily distracted by the laughter that was coming from downstairs and that fact that she was almost positive that there were more than two voices in on the conversation.

"So are we going to let Rachel out of the closet or is she just going to stay in there?"

"Hmm? What?" Quinn asked, paying more attention to her mother's deep laughter than Tina. _Did I just hear Kurt? _

"Rachel?" Tina asked, gesturing to the closet and looking at Quinn like she were nuts.

"Oh! Um…yeah." Quinn bit her lip as she slowly opened the closet door, praying that Rachel finally put her skirt on.

"Hey, Rach." Tina laughed as the brunette cautiously peered out of the closet, thankfully fully dressed.

"Oh! Hello, Tina." Rachel answered, extremely relieved that it wasn't Judy.

"Your mother is such a doll, Quinn." Rachel and Quinn's eyes both went wide as Kurt and Mercedes strolled into the blonde's bedroom.

"She's a trip, Quinn." Mercedes agreed, collapsing onto the bed next to Tina as Kurt made a bee-line for the closet.

"Ah, there's Rachel." Kurt absentmindedly commented as he started flipping through Quinn's wardrobe.

"What are you guys doing here?" Quinn asked, barely concealing her panic as she looked at a nervous Rachel.

It was clear that the shorter girl wasn't sure what her role there should be. Normally Rachel would take charge in these situations, but the fear on Quinn's face told her to keep quiet and follow the blonde's lead.

"Well when we couldn't find you we just chilled at the food court waiting until you found us. Neither one of you were answering our calls or texts." Mercedes said, picking up Quinn's stuffed Teddy bear and spinning it in her hands.

"But when Rachel called me we just decided to all come over to make sure you guys were okay." Tina filled in, watching how Rachel and Quinn both shot looks of uncertainly between them. "Does Mrs. Fabray still have your phone, Rachel?"

After quickly trading panicked glances with Quinn, Rachel nodded to Tina. "Yes, that is why I came over here…to get my phone." The brunette finished with a triumphant grin. She was pleased with the already made built-in excuse.

"Why does Mrs. F have your phone, Rachel?" Mercedes asked with a quirked eyebrow. Rachel cursed herself for not coming up with a viable excuse beforehand. She should have known better after Tina asked her earlier that day.

"I must have…dropped it…somewhere…"

"And my mom…uh, found it…lying on the ground outside…" Again the girls traded looks, both stumbling.

"Out…in theeee…street…"

"Street, yeah, and she picked it…"

"Up."

"She picked it up." They both finished lamely, nodding to their confused audience.

"Is everything okay?" Tina asked, completely perplexed by the two girls' behavior.

"We're fine."

"Perfectly normal." Both girls answered at the same time, neither all that convincingly.

"Don't be embarrassed, Rachel, no one is proud of their first time." Kurt answered casually as he held a baby doll dress up to his torso before he grimaced and put the dress on its hanger and back in Quinn's closet.

Panic-stricken, Rachel and Quinn exchanged looks of terror; the brunette's face paling and blonde's face going straight to a pea-green shade.

"W-what?" Rachel choked out.

"Come on, girl. We _all_ know about you and Santana. She told Puck it was true." Mercedes said, smirking slightly. Instantly, Rachel went from scared to infuriated. Quinn, however, went from relieved that no one knew about her and Rachel, right back to terrified.

This was _exactly_ why Quinn wanted to leave the mall with Rachel to begin with. She was hoping that if she sheltered the girl for a little while, the rumor would lose its excitement and something else would happen making everyone forget about her lie.

Yet, there Quinn was, SURROUNDED!

She knew that if and when Rachel came clean about the rumor, eventually it would come back to Quinn. People would wonder why she lied, and it would only be a matter of time until the truth came out. And Quinn couldn't have that.

She wasn't ready. She didn't know what it meant. Was she gay? Was she just a really slutty drunk? Did the chemicals that they were bound to use in those grungy photo booths drive her to insanity?

She wasn't ready for this! And there was no time to intercept Rachel. The brunette couldn't have known that Quinn had started the rumor to protect the two of them.

Everything slowed down to particles for Quinn. She watched as Kurt and Mercedes stared on, hungry for details from the brunette. How Tina wrinkled her nose while looking slightly uncomfortable. And how Rachel geared up to refute the rumor with a rant so large Quinn was sure her anger would bring her mother's house down.

With a quick look to her man Jesus and a silent plea that she would _finally_ start being nicer to poor and ugly people…and even Rachel Berry, she prayed hard that He would somehow find her a way out of this.

And like magic, the doorbell rang.

"Quinnie! Your friends are here!" Quinn, to this day, swears that the framed painting of Jesus winked at her, as the sound of her mother's voice drew closer.

"Looks like we have a little party going on here, Quinn." Judy Fabray declared from the doorway of her daughter's room as she did a little dance, smiling broadly. And if Quinn weren't so motherfucking grateful for the distraction, she might have been mortified by her mother's actions. But instead, she nearly sobbed her thanks.

"Noah, Finn, and those two other boys from your glee club are downstairs talking to Artie." Judy said, still smiling while Rachel discreetly moved behind the stunned blonde to avoid Mrs. Fabray.

"What are they doing here?" Quinn asked, eyes wide, suddenly not so thankful for the interruption. Puck meant more fodder for the rumor.

"I don't know dear, they wanted to see you I suppose." Judy said while frowning. "I have a great idea." She suddenly gushed with excitement. "Why don't we have a real party tonight? Like a welcome home party since you're moving back in? You can invite Santana and Brittany over too!" Quinn swallowed hard at the request, not liking her audience or the numerous ways this could go terribly wrong. She was too stressed to notice Mercedes' confused expression at the news of a "Welcome home party."

"I don't think that's such a good idea mom-"

"Now, now, Quinn." Kurt scolded with a devious smirk as he removed himself from Quinn's closet to stand beside Judy, casually snaking an arm around the older woman's waste before winking at Mercedes.

"That sounds like a marvelous idea." Quinn did _not_ like the way Kurt's smirk only got smugger. "And may I say, Judy that is a lovely broach you're wearing. Agnes B?" He asked curiously as he inspected the accessory.

"What a wonderful eye you have Kurt. Mr. Fabray bought it for me at this auction-"

"Mom!" Quinn gritted out between her clenched jaw.

"Sorry, Quinnie. Anyway, I'll run to the store to pick up a few party necessities and you kids can just sit tight and call your folks to let them know." She asked, clearly pleased.

"Sounds great, Mrs. F." Mercedes said, smiling up at Kurt.

"Absolutely fantastic." Kurt answered Mercedes' grin. Tina just nodded back at Judy's smiling face before the woman turned from the room and headed back downstairs.

Quinn distinctly heard Puck's "Sweet!" indicating that her mother had told the boys downstairs about the party and she shut her eyes painfully at what it meant.

_This is just great! _Quinn thought as she felt her heart rate continue to climb.

"I'll start rearranging the furniture downstairs for a more party atmosphere!" Kurt declared as he bounded from the room.

"This is gonna be some party." Mercedes laughed before she followed Kurt, Tina close behind.

"Quinnie!" Judy shouted from downstairs. "Why don't you come with me and we'll stop by Ms. Sylvester's office to talk to her about Cheerios?" Without looking at Rachel, who she knew would appear no more settled by the recent events as she was, she strode from the room to the top of the stairs to confront her mother.

"Mom, we have a house full of guests, I can't just leave them here." Quinn argued, barely managing to keep her anger in-check. She was grateful that she had a private moment alone with her mother. Puck, Matt, Mike, and Artie were huddled together by the kitchen door discussing something as Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina discussed feng shui and Kurt emphatically gestured around the room with wide eyes.

"Oh nonsense, dear. They are your friends. And as far as I can tell the only one I'd need to worry about is Noah Puckerman and you won't even be here. They'll be fine for an hour."

"I don't think my meeting with Coach Sylvester will go that quickly, mom," Quinn argued. "Maybe we should just call the party off and-"

"Oh, Quinn I already promised them and they seem so excited! It will be good that I get to know them. I'll tell you what. I'll drop you off at Ms. Sylvester's and do the shopping while you two chat. That way we won't be gone for so long."

Quinn went to protest again, but Judy stopped her daughter with a light hand on Quinn's arm. "Quinn…I'm _trying_ here. I know that your father and I made mistakes in the past and I want to move forward. I want you to live with me again…be a _family_ with you again. These people are important to you and I want to know them."

All thoughts of protesting went out the window with Judy's quiet confession. Quinn bit her lip as she looked around the first floor of her house and watched her glee friends laugh amongst their groups. Instinctually, Quinn looked over her shoulder only to see Rachel standing in the doorway of the blonde's room, looking slightly sad.

"I…sure mom." Quinn answered dutifully as she turned back to her mother.

"Wonderful. Get dressed quickly and we'll be on our way!" Quinn watched Judy hurry off before she grudgingly went back to her bedroom to where Rachel waited.

"So I guess you're having a party." Rachel said, dropping down to the foot of Quinn's bed as she watched the blonde grab her old Cheerios uniform—or the one she wore freshman year that Sue had forgotten Quinn still had and therefore didn't pry from the blonde's hands.

"Looks like." Quinn answered miserably. The blonde ran the material of the old, slightly faded uniform through her fingers, still facing her closet. "I'm sorry, Rachel." Quinn whispered after the brunette sighed softly behind her.

"For what?" Rachel whispered back, her tone slightly sarcastic. _Are you sorry for sleeping with me and leaving me this morning? Sorry for how awful you've always treated me? Sorry that a hideous rumor is being spread about me? Or for the fact that I am now in the most awkward situation of my life?_

"Well for…a lot of stuff." Quinn said carefully as she slowly turned around. She kept her eyes glued to the uniform but steeled herself to get out what she wanted to say. Her eyes briefly glanced at the painting of Jesus before she promptly rolled them and continued.

"I sort of…started the rumor." Quinn winced as soon as she said it and waited for the blow-up. She wasn't disappointed.

"You WHAT?" Rachel all but screamed, jumping up from the bed and advancing on Quinn. "The ENTIRE time you have known me you have been nothing but hateful and vindictive, not to MENTION everything you have done since last evening! What, Quinn? Sleeping with me, taking my VIRGINITY and leaving me in the morning wasn't bad enough? You had to start a horrible RUMOR about me too!" Quinn was thankful that somewhere downstairs, someone had turned on music so that Rachel's tirade had been drowned out.

"Rachel, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it!" Quinn yelled back, angry at Rachel's very true accusations but not wanting to appear weak.

"You didn't mean to?"

"I was scared and confused!" Quinn screamed. "I needed advice, so I went to Brittany-"

"Brittany!" Rachel yelled back in astonishment. "What a brilliant idea, Quinn! What, there weren't any TODDLERS available?"

"That's my FRIEND you're talking about, Berry!"

"Oh, so we're back to Berry are we? Well _Fabray_, in the immortal words of Rhett Butler, 'frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!'" Rachel spat out, infuriated, as she spun around to face the bed.

"She was _confused_, Rachel!" Quinn pleaded to Rachel's back. "I was _trying_ to get advice and although Brittany isn't exactly the best person to go to for that…" Rachel scoffed. "I needed someone to talk to. But she got confused and before I could stop her she was off and running telling people that you slept with Santana! I have _no_ idea why Santana said she _did_ sleep with you but I'll fix it, okay!" Quinn demanded, feeling guilty for everything that was happening but in no way going to grovel.

"You didn't mean to spread the rumor?" Rachel asked softly, her back still to Quinn.

"No, Rachel. I didn't. And before I could stop it everyone knew. And then…well…_we_ were busy…_anyway._ We'll figure this out." Quinn conceded. Slowly, Rachel turned around, smiling softly.

"_We_ will?" Not picking up on what Rachel was _really_ asking, Quinn nodded. "And will we figure out us together too?" Rachel asked, shyly looking up at Quinn. The blonde's jaw clenched as she realized the trap she just stepped in. It became very obvious to Quinn suddenly that she had never seen Rachel get worked up over…_anything_ like she just had—except when she wanted to get her way_. _And if that smirk on the brunette's face was any indication, Quinn just got hosed.

The blonde narrowed her eyes, slightly impressed with Rachel for feigning anger just to get Quinn to talk about what was going on between them.

The blonde huffed as her eyes found Jesus yet again, before she looked back at the diva. "We'll talk about it tonight."

"Quinnie! Let's go!" Judy called from downstairs.

"Shit." Quinn mumbled, completely forgetting that she was supposed to go with her mother and to meet with Coach Sylvester. Without thinking, Quinn quickly slipped out of her dress in order to put on her old Cheerios uniform.

Rachel's eyes widened at the suddenly display of the blonde's body and Quinn just happened to glance up in time to catch it. "See something you like?" The blonde asked smugly, forgetting completely that she shouldn't appear happy at the fact that Rachel found her attractive.

Later, Rachel will marvel that Quinn pulled off the line that the brunette was too insecure to attempt. But right then, mostly she was thinking that seeing the blonde naked was breathtaking. She just dumbly nodded, eyes traveling the length of Quinn's long legs, to her perfect stomach, and over her breasts which slightly spilled out from her bra.

Quinn rolled her eyes, smiling, as she yanked the Cheerios uniform up and on, relieved that it fit perfectly. Next, she quickly threw her hair up into her old trademark ponytail, not even bothering to look in the mirror. She was enjoying watching Rachel watch her.

"Okay, I have to go." Quinn said, tearing her eyes off of Rachel to inspect her appearance in the mirror behind her. "Just great." She mumbled, tracing a slender finger over the fading hickeys the brunette had left. They weren't _so_ obvious, but she'd have to put some makeup on them before she met with Sue. Sue _would _see them_. _She didn't miss much.

"So we'll talk later?" Rachel asked shyly, biting her lip nervously as she still scanned the blonde's body.

"Yep, as soon as I get home." Quinn promised distractedly as she hastily applied cover up to the hickeys. She clicked the compact shut and spun around and before she could even think about what the hell she was doing, her lips were softly on Rachel's and then she was running out her bedroom door, gearing up to meet with Sue.

But at the top of the stairs, the blonde froze realizing what she had just done. She quickly looked over her shoulder to see Rachel standing in her bedroom doorway smiling brightly. Nodding curtly, still thrown by her actions, Quinn rushed down the stairs-ignoring the catcalls from her friends as they took in the blonde in her uniform-before she and her mother made their way out to the car.

"Let's get this party started!" Puck cheered, along with the rest of the glee kids—Rachel excluded, who was still recovering from Quinn's soft kiss—before he and Kurt started doling out jobs for everyone.

This included a run to the liquor store—Puck's assignment to Mike and Matt—a gathering of music and games—Kurt's job for Artie, Tina, and Mercedes—while Puck made phone calls to other kids, and Kurt put the finishing touches on the house.

If Rachel hadn't been curled up on Quinn's bed, paralyzed with excitement and happiness, she would have put a stop to the goings-on of her glee friends. She would have explained to Puck that there couldn't be alcohol at the party, seeing as how Judy Fabray would be there. Or that they were _not_ authorized, nor would it be wise for them to invite anyone else to the Fabrays' shindig.

But, alas, no. Rachel was far too gone in thoughts of Quinn to realize what was happening a floor below. And no one at the house thought it prudent to alert the small diva.

A very big part of Tina and Mercedes knew that it wasn't a good idea. But Mercedes was hurt. Quinn hadn't mentioned to her roommate that she was moving out. She thought they were friends. She thought the blonde _liked_ living at her house. And she was sort of hoping that the party would prevent Judy from taking in her daughter. Or maybe show Quinn that it would be better if she stayed at the Jones' household.

So she just glared at Tina to keep her quiet and went along with the whole thing. And plus, both girls _were_ slightly curious about what would happen if Rachel, Finn, and Santana were all at a party together considering the current state of affairs. Affairs being the keyword.

Because Tina and Mercedes knew—or thought they knew—that Santana and Rachel slept together. And they _also_ knew that Finn had slept with Santana, but that Rachel didn't know. And they _further_ knew that Finn was doing his best to get Rachel back. _And in addition_ to _all_ of that, moreover, Finn had _no idea_ about the rumor yet!

When Puck had heard that Tina and Artie, along with Mercedes and Kurt were going to Quinn's house to pick up Rachel, he laughed manically and dragged Finn with him for the show. He kept his best friend in the dark, loving the irony that they fiery Latina had popped both Rachel and Finn's cherries even though the old couple had no idea about the other, and couldn't wait for Finn to find out about the girl he loved and her first time.

Matt and Mike went too because Puck was their ride, but they were just as excited to see the fireworks.

Puck didn't really mean any harm. Hell, if he were in Finn's shoes he'd be ecstatic! Before he'd promptly recommend a threesome. He could have no idea that Finn would be less than pleased. But that happens later.

But what no one could know, or anticipate, was just how tangled everything had become. Because Rachel and Quinn had sex. But Finn wanted Rachel back. Even though he went on a date with an unknown person the night before—a person who he _really, really_ shouldn't have dated! But the real kicker was, that Quinn didn't know that Finn still loved Rachel. Finn—a boy that she had hurt _numerous_ times and promised herself she would never, _ever_ hurt again.

Meanwhile, an hour after Quinn had left her house, she exhaustedly trudged from the halls of McKinley high to the parking lot where her mother sat patiently waiting.

She had just been put through the _ringer!_ Aside from completing an elaborate obstacle course of Sue Sylvester's creation, a one-hundred, multiple choice questionnaire with five essay questions tacked on at the end—all pertaining to cheerleading rules-signing a legally binding document that Quinn signed in _actual_ blood promising not to get fat or pregnant—Sue had a notary present as well to further its authenticity—an oral test that measured Quinn's lightning-sharp insult reflexes, and a demonstration that the blonde's body was in tip-top shape—Sue Sylvester agreed that Quinn could rejoin the Cheerios. But not as captain…yet.

She felt drained. And humiliated.

She had almost completely forgotten what waited for her at home, but once inside the car, she remembered.

It appeared that Judy Fabray had went a little overboard. She hoped that the party would show her daughter that she really cared and that she was a cool mom; a mom Quinn would want to live with. The car was packed with food and party supplies and Quinn groaned when she saw them.

"It's not too late to cancel." Quinn practically begged. All she wanted was her shower…and her bed…and maybe Rachel, the blonde grudgingly admitted.

"Now, Quinn, that's enough out of you. You're friends are excited!" Judy said, smiling as she drove. "Oh! And I have fun news!"

"Can we talk about it later mom? I just really need to relax right now if I have a party waiting for me." The young blonde mumbled sleepily as she put her earbuds in and took her iPod out to look for a calming song to prepare her for the party.

"Sure, dear. It will be a fun surprise!" Quinn shook her head doubtfully as she pushed play on her iPod and closed her eyes. It had been a long twenty-four hours and if she could get in a quick nap, she'd be better for it.

When her hazel eyes eventually opened, however, she was convinced she was still asleep; in a nightmare.

As Judy and Quinn Fabray pulled up to their house, the young blonde thought briefly that her mother had parked in front of the wrong one. Cause _surely_ the raging party that was taking place at this house could _not_ be theirs!

"Holy crap!" Quinn mumbled as she stepped out of the car. The music could clearly be heard from the curb where Quinn stood. The street was lined with cars as kids from McKinley were pouring into the house.

"Surprise!" Judy shouted as she unloaded bags from the car, grinning madly. Quinn spun around to look at her as she yanked her earbuds out.

"You planned this?" The blonde yelped.

"Well…" Judy started, biting her lip as she looked on nervously at her house. "I suppose perhaps your friends went a little overboard, but I ran into a few of your friends from school at the store and-"

"_Which_ friends?" Quinn gritted out.

"That nice young man, Dave…Dave…oh what was his name?" Judy asked herself as Quinn's eyes went wide.

"Karofsky?" Quinn shrieked.

"That's it!" Judy said excitedly. "I noticed that he and a few of the boys he was with were wearing McKinley letterman jackets and I assumed that they played on the football team with some of your glee friends, so I invited them to your party!"

"He plays HOCKEY, mom, NOT, football!" Quinn yelled.

"Oh." Clearly even Judy Fabray knew that in the high school hierarchy, hockey wasn't as cool as football. "Well I already invited them."

"Who else did you invite?" Quinn fumed as she whipped around to watch more students piling into her house.

"Well I told them they could bring a few friends and of course I gave Santana and Brittany a call because I assumed you would be too busy with Coach Sylvester to tell them about it…" As Judy continued to recount her outing and the _many_ McKinley students that she had run into and invited, Quinn looked on, horrified. She never planned on calling Santana…for obvious reasons.

Not only was a party the _last_ thing she felt like dealing with, she knew that most likely everyone inside her house—a house that Rachel Berry currently resided—knew about the rumor, or would soon find out. Throw Santana in the mix—whatever her reasoning behind lying about said rumor—and it was a recipe for disaster. No, it was formula for a cataclysmic, catastrophic, awesomely bad, badness!

"Oh shit!" Quinn mumbled at the realization, loud enough for her mother to hear and scold her for, before she took off for the house.

Again, Quinn wondered if she were, indeed, in the midst of a nightmare. The house was _packed_! It seemed like _everyone_ from McKinley was there as she wrestled her way through the door, only thoughts of finding Rachel in her mind.

She ignored the jocks who made crude comments to her about her cheerleading uniform, brushed away from her glee friends as she searched desperately, and prayed that the red Solo cups that every single person had in their hands was just juice. She wasn't hopeful.

When she couldn't find Rachel, she raced up to her bedroom and flung open her door and let out a relieved sigh when she found the tiny brunette fast asleep, curled up in Quinn's bed.

"Rachel?" Quinn whispered, nudging the girl. When she got no response, she tried again. "Rachel!" She repeated, this time a little louder. The brunette finally stirred, eyes fluttering open.

"Quinn?" She breathed out, still groggy from sleep. "I fell asleep? What time is it? Did I miss the party?" She asked through a yawn as she sat up on her elbows. If the blonde hadn't been so thoroughly stressed from the situation downstairs, exhausted from all that Sue put her through and how she spent the previous evening, she probably wouldn't have acted as she had.

But she _was_ stressed, and she _was _exhausted, and it actually got her to lower her guard a little.

"No." Quinn said as she laughed. "As I'm sure you can hear, the party is still very much going on." She chuckled again as she slid onto the bed beside Rachel. She too propped herself up on one elbow as she faced the brunette.

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing that I didn't miss the party?" Rachel asked nervously as she smiled at the blonde.

"Trust me, a bad thing. Literally _all_ of McKinley is down there." The brunette groaned as she collapsed onto one of Quinn's pillows, her hair curtaining her face from the blonde. "Maybe we can just stay up here and no one will notice." Quinn muttered as she lay down further on the bed, unintentionally moving closer to Rachel.

"I'd like that." Rachel whispered, peering up at Quinn through her hair.

"Me too." Quinn whispered back, her face directly beside the brunette's.

"You would?" Rachel softly asked as she looked up at Quinn through her lashes, her eyes trained on the blonde's lips as she moved closer to Quinn. The blonde swallowed with difficulty as she nodded.

They were going to kiss, Quinn knew for sure. And although it was something that the blonde desperately wanted, something her body was craving because of all the stress of the day, Quinn turned her lips away from Rachel before the diva could hit her mark.

"I should get down there." Quinn mumbled as she slid off the bed. Rachel closed her eyes in hurt, frustrated by the blonde's actions and saddened. She couldn't figure Quinn out. It really did seem like she liked Rachel.

The photo booth was an example of passion, but the previous night showed more than that. The way Quinn looked up at Rachel right before they slept together, how they held one another after each time, the way the laughed and talked throughout the whole evening—Rachel was convinced that there was a lot more there. Now she just had to get Quinn to see it as well.

The brunette sat up in the bed and prepared herself for a diatribe to persuade Quinn that they were soul mates, that it was clear by overcoming their past history and the last two days that they had something rare and great. But before she could get anything out, music suddenly blasted from the speakers below and the room full of rowdy teenagers started cheering.

"Just great." Quinn mumbled as she quickly opened her closet to retrieve a change of clothes. "My mom is going to flip."

After Quinn put on a pale yellow dress, Rachel hesitantly followed the blonde downstairs to the sea of McKinley students. Both girls stop on the bottom step, eyes wide, mouths open, as they stared on at the carnage.

In the left corner of the room, currently, a group of jocks where holding Artie upside down as the boy did a kegstand. Not far away, Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, and a few Cheerios were involved in a flipcup game. All around them were more jocks, Cheerios, and students, dancing, drinking, and talking.

Beside them, where Quinn's favorite couch use to be, Matt, Mike, Puck, and Finn were playing a game of beer bong. However, Quinn noted with dread, it appeared as though they were using liquor to fill up the cups, not beer.

It might have not been _so_ bad, if it weren't for her mother. But Judy Fabray was standing just outside the kitchen with both Santana and Brittany. And in all of their hands was a shot glass. And in that shot glass was clear liquid. And before Quinn could even get out her panicked and disturbed scream, all three of them downed their shots.

"Oh, Jesus, this isn't happening!" Quinn breathed out as she covered her face with her hands. Rachel, too looked on, horrified, and was quick to comfort Quinn.

"Don't worry, Quinn, we'll take care of this." She said as she started to slowly move her hand up and down the blonde's back in what was meant to be a calming gesture.

"Don't touch me!" Quinn hissed, moving away from a hurt Rachel.

"Quinn-"

"No! Just…just leave me alone, I'll take care of this myself." She seethed before she swiftly left the brunette's side and made her way over to where her mother and her friends were still doing shots. _That_ was the most pressing problem.

Still on the steps, frozen and hurt, was Rachel Berry. She watched as Judy Fabray laughed off her daughter's attempts to take away the shot glass and the bottle of vodka Santana was holding. She could tell that Brittany and Santana were giving Quinn a hard time too. The blonde gave up with a huff, throwing her arms in the air, before she quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

Rachel stood there, watching everyone around her having fun as she sulked. She was so _tired!_ She had spent the last two years being ridiculed and ostracized by…well…everyone that was currently in the Fabray house. The past year she had had her heart broken three times—losing at Reginals included—and was humiliated further by a boy whom she thought had loved her.

But somehow, somehow Quinn's latest rejection topped it all. Maybe, the brunette mused, it was because she had slept with the blonde. She had done the research and knew that giving your virginity to someone connected you to them on very deep level. Perhaps that was why she felt so thoroughly immersed in all that was Quinn.

But clearly Quinn didn't feel the same. But Finn felt it. And Puck wanted her. Hell, even _Santana_ felt as though it was cool enough to lie and say she slept with the diva! If Quinn didn't want her then she only had two options: One, move on—which Rachel didn't particularly consider, seeing as how she _never_ gave up-or show Quinn that she was worth it.

Rachel nodded her head as she made her decision. She hopped off the remaining step and quickly nudged her way throughout the crowed and over to where Puck was standing with a bottle of Grey Goose in his hand—after all, she _knew_ she could drink that.

Without prelude or introductions, Rachel yanked the bottle from his hand and lifted it to her lips where she proceeded to gulp it down before her brain could tell her that it wasn't a wise idea.

She ignored Finn's greeting and shocked outburst by her display and Puck, Matt, and Mikes cheers. She pulled from the bottle with only one thought in mind: Quinn.

Because, how could she show Finn and all the others that the blonde wasn't as bad as she lead on-how amazing she was with Rachel the night before and how much she changed-if Quinn was still resisting their connection.

How could she thrown it in Finn Hudson's face if the blonde wouldn't even let Rachel touch her or kiss her? First she'd make Quinn fall and then she'd show everyone.

Yes, Rachel did like to win over an audience. Yes, she wanted to be popular and well-liked. But mostly, mostly Rachel just wanted Quinn. Around the blonde she felt nothing but raw emotion and passion. Such passion that she slept with the girl in public, a photo booth without a second thought of consequences. That she willingly and passionately gave herself over to the blonde that she knew she would have done even if she had been sober.

Yes, she would show Quinn Fabray that she was worth it. And then she'd show everyone that Quinn was worth it too, even to the blonde. Rachel wasn't completely devoid of social graces; she knew that Quinn was scared of what she felt for the brunette. But tonight Rachel would prove that she needn't be.

Nothing would or could prevent her from achieving her task; she was Rachel Berry after all!

Well…nothing except for what was about to happen in the kitchen. Because as Mercedes Jones laughed at something Tina had said and held up her cup to indicate she needed a refill, she set in motion a domino effect that would prove to be disastrous.

Mercedes waved at Puck as she passed by the beer pong table where Finn, Puck, Mike and Matt were watching a still guzzling Rachel, and made her way to the kitchen where Quinn was hastily cleaning up after the rambunctious party-goers.

"Mercedes, thank God!" The blonde exclaimed, slightly out of breath as she tossed yet another red Solo cup into her almost full trash bag. "You have to help me get everyone out of the house." She said as she blew a stray hair out of her face and rested against the kitchen island as she watched Mercedes fill her cup up from the keg that was stationed in the kitchen.

"Girl, I don't have to do nothing." Mercedes grumbled. Quinn was slightly thrown-off by her friend's harsh tone.

"Mercedes…what's wrong?"

"It's a party, Quinn, I'm having fun." Although she didn't sound like it at that present moment. Again, the blonde blanched, unsure where Mercedes' hostility was coming from.

"If I…Did I do something to upset you…?"

"Like you don't know." Mercedes attacked as she rounded on the blonde. "I thought we were _friends_, Quinn. But no, you're as closed-up and icy as you've always been!" She reared. The blonde gaped. Her friendship with Mercedes was very important to her and she really tried to be there for her roommate.

"I'm sorry…just…just tell me what I did and I'll fix it and-" But Mercedes wasn't listening. The hour Quinn had spent with Sue, Mercedes spent drinking. By now she was feeling more than buzzed and very heated by the fact that the blonde didn't tell her she was moving out.

"Friends _tell_ each other things, Quinn! I'm not saying you got to tell me every little detail about your life because I got some stuff I've been keeping to myself too, but not the really big, important things!" Quinn was momentarily thrown that Mercedes was keeping things from her, but considering the last two days the blonde wasn't going to question it.

"Mercedes, I tell you things." The blonde stated, but her tone was soft if not firm. "No, I'm not _completely_ open with you-" Mercedes _hmphed_ and crossed her arms over her chest as she stared down Quinn.

"How about you start with where you got all those hickeys, or who sent you those flowers to my house!" Quinn was stunned, shaking her head a little as she marveled just how terrible her day had been and how it didn't look like it was about to improve. Her stomach felt acidy as it churned; she hated fighting with Mercedes.

"I…I can't tell you that right now." Mercedes rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her cocked hip.

"Well what _can_ you tell me, Quinn. Cause you certainly didn't have the decency to tell me you were moving out!" The blonde practically laughed, relieved that she had gotten to the bottom of the argument. She did, however, allow a small smile that her friend wasn't too happy to see.

"You think something is funny?"

"No, Mercedes, you got it all wrong-"

"You didn't even _tell _me, Quinn! And you obviously seeing someone, and you can't even tell me who! I understand you're private and that you want to keep things to yourself but tell me _something…" _Mercedes kept going on, ranting and raving, talking over Quinn. The blonde couldn't get a word in even though she kept opening and closing her mouth trying to find an opening to cut Mercedes off with. She wasn't ready to tell her about Rachel, and besides, the brunette didn't want anyone to know. So she lied. Not a huge deal. Right?

"PUCK!" Okay! It was Puck!" This stopped Mercedes cold. Her eyebrows shot up and then _both_ hands went to her hips.

"You're lying." She deadpanned, shaking Quinn's confidence slightly.

"I was with Puck."

"When?" Mercedes pushed, narrowing her eyes as though she could shoot lasers from them at Quinn.

"Late last night." The blonde fired back, not liking the third-degree she was getting.

"How late?" Mercedes spit out, quirking her eyebrow dangerously.

"I don't know, Mercedes, _really_ late?" Quinn couldn't understand what the big deal was. It's not like Puck would care that she lied, he was a manwhore. Granted, he had kept his distance from her all summer, at Quinn's request, and they hadn't spent much time together, but surely his ho status hadn't changed.

"You know what, Quinn?" Mercedes asked in a dangerously low tone. "I'm glad you're moving out. I don't want to be friends with a _bitch_ anymore." Quinn was practically knocked on her ass by the comment. She watched, stunned, as Mercedes turned on her heel and went to exit the kitchen, just as Puck, Finn, Mike, Matt, Artie, Tina, Kurt, Santana, Brittany, Mrs. Fabray, and Rachel shuffled in one after the other.

"Whoa! Where's the fire, babe?" Puck asked as he caught the furious Mercedes around the waist and halted her movements. Twelve sets of eyes looked between the two feuding girls.

What Quinn couldn't know…what most people in the room couldn't know—including several jockes, Cheerios, and students who had been innocently hanging out in the kitchen—was that Mercedes wasn't just "hanging out" with a friend the previous night like she originally told Quinn the night before.

No. She had a date. And if Quinn wasn't too bogged down with everything that the last two days had afforded her, she might have been able to figure it out. Because when she had asked Puck if he wanted to hang out when Mercedes told her she was busy, he too told her he had other plans; a date.

A date with Mercedes.

It was their fourth date that summer, actually. And things were going well. Until this.

"Why don't you ask Quinn, Puck?" Mercedes raged. "After all, she was the girl you were screwing around with last night!" Everyone's eyes went wide while a few people gasped. Puck was sputtering as he tried to form a sentence to rectify the situation, but he seemed to be having some trouble. Meanwhile, Rachel was reeling.

_Is that why Quinn left me in the middle of the night? To meet up with Noah? _

"Jesus! Quinn's messing around with Puck, Puck's messing around with Quinn _and _Mercedes, Santana took Finn's and Rachel's virginity-after they got all bondage-y with argyle-Santana is also screwing Brittany, sometimes Matt and Mike, hell, probably even Puck! Artie and Tina had sex for the first time today, Finn had a secret date last night even though he's still in love with Rachel who seems to be bff with Quinn now, and Mrs. Fabray just did a body shot off of freaking Karofsky's hairy chest!" Everyone spun around to gawk at Kurt as he downed the rest of his dirty martini. "This party is freaking brilliant!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello. Thanks for reading and reviewing and I'm sorry this took so long. I've set it up so that I could continue writing this, as I plan on, but I will continue my trend with each post being completed just in case I don't have time._

_Sorry about the mistakes. And I'm playing on updating again in a week or so cause I did leave some open-ended questions in this one. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy. _

"Jesus! Quinn's messing around with Puck, Puck's messing around with Quinn _and _Mercedes, Santana took Finn's and Rachel's virginity—after they got all bondage-y with argyle—Santana is also screwing Brittany, sometimes Matt and Mike, hell, probably even Puck! Artie and Tina had sex for the first time today, Finn had a secret date last night even though he's still in love with Rachel who seems to be bff with Quinn now, and Mrs. Fabray just did a body shot off of freaking Karofsky's hairy chest!" Everyone spun around to gawk at Kurt as he downed the rest of his dirty martini. "This party is freaking brilliant!"

The room sat in stunned silence at Kurt's exposure to their secrets. He obliviously moved around the shocked crowd to prepare another dry martini for himself as he continued to smack his lips savoring the one he had just finished.

"Are there anymore olives?" He asked, his head deep in the fridge as he looked around the crowded shelves.

Somehow that broke the spell of silence. Suddenly everyone was screaming at each other…with the exception of a very confused Rachel Berry. Finn slept with Santana? Santana was telling people she and Rachel had slept together? Quinn snuck away in the dead of night to be with Puck?

It was just all too much for the brunette.

As the fighting erupted around her, Rachel made up her mind through her drunken haze and spun on her heel to sneak out of the room. The kitchen was in chaos, so no one noticed the diva's exit.

"Mom, what is wrong with you?" The blonde shot daggers at her mother, thoroughly disgusted at the idea that Judy did a body shot…well…_period_, but off Karofsky's chest?…Quinn shivered violently at the thought.

Judy didn't look embarrassed, however, her face was set and her eyes were slits. Her furious expression was aimed at the back of Puck's head and before anyone could realize it was happening, the older blonde whipped her open hand against the back of the boy's head.

"How dare you touch my daughter again!" She repeated the smack and the glee kids around them backed away as they watched Puck duck and cover each slap.

"Hey! Knock it off! Will someone get her off me?" But whether the glee kids were too afraid to go near Mrs. Fabray, too caught up in their own arguments, or they didn't really care if Puck got knocked upside the head or not, no one made a move to help him.

"I didn't touch Quinn!" He screamed, the back of his shaved head beat red, almost as dark as the blush on his face. "I didn't touch her and I wasn't with her last night!" He told Judy before his gaze went to Mercedes.

Because of everyone's screams, no distinct voices could be heard over the din. Puck was in a shouting match with both Mrs. Fabray and Mercedes Jones. Santana was growling back at the furious Finn and his bellowed expletive. In between her fight with Finn, the Latina was also encouraging Judy. Tina was royally pissed at Artie for telling Kurt about their first time, however, Artie was defending himself right back to his girlfriend claiming he never told Kurt; he neglected to mention he _had_ told Puck, Matt and Mike and Kurt overheard the discussion.

In between yelling at Quinn to pull her mother off of him and defending himself against Mrs. Fabray and Mercedes, Puck was yelling at Artie for blaming him about spreading the news that he and Tina had slept together; because right now a very pissed off Asian was advancing on him with a deep scowl and murderous eyes and he didn't need any one else hitting him.

Matt and Mike were flanking Santana as she defended herself against Finn, demanding the two boys to intercede even though they _really_ didn't want to get involved. Quinn heard the Latina growl out Rachel's name and her head snapped in the direction as Santana started goading Finn.

"Just because you weren't _man_ enough to get Berry to give it up don't come crying to me!" The blonde was about to scream at the Cheerio for her comment when she heard her name being sneered from Mercedes' lips and her head spun back to where her mother was still yelling and hitting Puck.

"…And don't even _bother_ telling me ya didn't because I don't trust your man-whoring ass around that ho…" And as much as she wanted to help Puck out—which she really didn't care too much about—again she heard Rachel's name and she went back to Santana and Finn's fight, straining her ears over Tina's loud yelling about empowerment for women.

"Rachel wouldn't touch you! She loves me and I love her!" Finn screamed in Santana's face. She watched as the Cheerio shoved Finn in the chest and Matt and Mike grab him before he toppled over Artie and his wheel chair. But the statement caught the blonde cold.

"Finn still loves Rachel?" Quinn whispered to herself, as something heavy crushed down on her chest.

"Crazy right?" Quinn looked beside her to see a bored Kurt Hummel glancing around the room. "You'd think he'd gotten over her by now. But I guess they girl he went out with last night didn't do it for him."

"What can I say, Hudson, I'm good at what I do! I'm fucking _known_ for taking people's V cards and I just added your girl's name to the list!" Quinn's attention went back to Santana and Finn's argument and marveled that Santana was still lying—although it appeared now she was just doing it to piss Finn off. But the blonde's ex was getting redder and redder in the face and that vein that pops whenever he's holding a particularly difficult note was now pulsating at the rate of alarming speeds.

"Quinn, are their only black olives?" Kurt asked lazily at her side, looking up at her as though a scene of mayhem hadn't erupted around them. Out of the corner of her eye the blonde caught movement and she quickly acted.

"Brittany, don't eat that!" Quinn shouted across the kitchen to her friend who had a plastic grape poised to her lips.

"But the purple ones are sweeter than the green ones." Brittany answered before she popped the decoration into her mouth. Quinn's eyes slammed shut in irritation.

"Yes, Kurt! We only have black olives!" She hissed at the nagging boy as she watched Brittany open her mouth to let the chewed-up grape fall to the floor with clear disgust on her face.

"That one wasn't sweet."

"Oh for the love of God." She gritted at as Brittany reached for another grape.

"Would you all SHUT UP!" Quinn seethed. The screaming matches didn't stop and she fumed silently for a moment—fists clenched at her sides as her shoulders tensed further.

She watched the scene: Mercedes now hitting Puck upside the head as she and Judy both screamed at him, Artie wheeling himself around the island pleading his case to Tina as she went in circles avoiding him, Santana and Finn yelling in each other's personal space as Matt and Mike trying to keep them apart, Brittany still attempting to eat the fake fruit, and Kurt beside her lecturing the blonde on the importance of vermouth in a dry martini.

Her eyes scanned quickly in search of the little brunette, darting in between feuds, desperate that she wasn't overhearing how often her name was being dropped or in the middle of a fight of her own.

She was nowhere in sight and the growing panic in Quinn's chest escalated further knowing that the diva was probably dealing with a lot at the moment all while being drunk. Later it will strike Quinn how concerned she was for Rachel; actually worrying if she had hurt the brunette's feelings and destroying her chances for their…whatever the hell they were doing.

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Quinn exclaimed, stomping her foot and waving her hands.

"…Rachel would _so _choose me!" Were the trailing words of Finn Hudson before everyone's attention was finally on the blonde. Quinn didn't waste a moment, afraid that they would go back to arguing.

"If you're not currently in glee or the mother of a glee member, get the HELL out of my kitchen!" Quinn yelled as she surveyed the jocks, Cheerios, and other students that were hungrily listening in on the many conversations being screamed around them. About a dozen people shuffled out the room looking thoroughly put-out.

"Kurt!" Quinn yelled, turning to the boy beside her. "If I swear to get you green olives would you promise to take my mother up to her bedroom, lock the door, and keep her there until she is both sober and an adult again?" She demanded, her finger in the boy's face and her jaw tight. He just nodded smartly before he moved across the room and took Mrs. Fabray's hand.

"Come on, Judy, I make a mean martini and you _must_ show me your Marc Jacobs collection. The man is just to _die for!_" Kurt groaned as he led Judy from the kitchen.

"And keep her the _hell_ away from Karofsky!" She shouted at his back. With two down, Quinn rounded on Artie and Tina. "Tina! I understand how much it seriously _sucks_ having your personal business discussed, but if you've managed not to tell Mercedes _all_ about what happened with you and Artie, in great detail, just as Artie talked about it with _his_ friends, then I will allow you to push him down my front steps." Artie's face twisted into a look of horror as Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and waited for Tina's answer.

The girl had the decency to look slightly ashamed. "Get out of my kitchen and go somewhere to talk about it!" Quinn ordered as she pointed to her kitchen door. She rolled her shoulders as she watched the two quietly leave and took a deep breath. She really wanted to find Rachel but she still had seven more people to deal with.

"Santana, for the _love of God_, please get Brittany away from my fake fruit!" Santana spun around just as Brittany attempted to bite into the plastic apple and quickly took it away from her before guiding her out of the kitchen.

"This isn't over _Hudson!" _She sneered over her shoulder.

"Mike! Take Finn the hell home and out of my sight or I swear to God I will kick him so hard in the nuts he'll find himself in prehistoric times where I'm sure he'd fit right in!" She growled out towards her ex as though it wasn't just a threat. Finn's face paled as Mike took him by the arm and jerked him towards the door swiftly.

"Matt! I don't care if you have to search all over Ohio, find the largest _damn_ bottle of green olives and I'll pay you back tomorrow!" Matt practically flew out of the kitchen, clearly pleased that he was getting to leave.

Quinn took a deep breath as she slowly turned toward a fidgeting Puck and a scowling Mercedes. Her friend's arms were crossed and looked ready for a fight. But Quinn was suddenly exhausted.

"Mercedes, I owe you a huge apology." The blonde said softly. She was still anxious to find Rachel, hoping that the brunette hadn't left and would be easy to find, but she really needed to talk to her friend. "_Nothing_, and I mean _nothing_ happened with Puck." Quinn said earnestly, moving closer to Mercedes.

Mercedes was nodding ruefully, clicking her tongue and chuckling without humor.

"Quinn, I'm not stupid-"

"I _know_ you're not. Since that's the case you have to understand that I would never touch Puck again even if he was the last guy on earth!" She pleaded, looking directly at Mercedes.

"Hey!" Puck exclaimed, insulted. But both girls ignored him.

"Look, Quinn-" Mercedes started, holding up her hand ready to concede; not believing Puck would chose her over Quinn.

"No, Mercedes. Seriously, _nothing_ happened with Puck. I just wasn't ready…I'm _not_ ready to tell you about…about that stuff." She said, gesturing to her neck referring to the hickeys. "But I can tell you that I'm not moving out." Again Mercedes went to interrupt but Quinn stalled her. "My mom _wants_ me to and I know that eventually I'll _have_ to move back in with her. But it's what _she _wants, not me. And I swear that the second I decide that I'm ready to live with that train-wreck that is my mother…" Both girls chuckled softly, rolling their eyes at Judy Fabray's drunken behavior that night. "You'll be the first to know."

Mercedes nodded softly, smiling up at her friend. "Nothing happened with you and Puck?"

"Hello! I _told_ you nothing happened!" Again both girls ignored the boy.

"Not even if they made the strongest, most infallible condom known to man." Puck crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry I said all that horrible stuff to you, Quinn." Mercedes whispered. But Quinn was already smiling.

"It's forgotten. I'm sorry I lied to you to begin with."

"Well I wasn't exactly upfront with you. I mean, I could hardly get mad at you even if something happened with Puck. I was just so hurt when I thought you were moving out."

"I get it, Mercedes." The shared a smile and a hug before they pounded fists that ended with an explosion and a chuckle. "Why don't you guys head out and we can meet up tomorrow to talk some more."

"Sounds good, girl." Mercedes grinned before hugging the blonde once more.

"Aren't _I_ going to get an apology?" Puck asked, glaring at both girls.

"I'm sorry you're such a man-whore that I thought you were lying." Mercedes said, rolling her eyes.

"And I'm sorry you don't have hair to cover-up my mom's and Mercedes' hand marks." Quinn said with a fake smile.

"This is complete _crap_." Puck huffed as a laughing Mercedes steered him out of the kitchen. With that, Quinn was alone. She took another cleansing breath before she quickly planned out how she was to find Rachel.

Judy Fabray still had the brunette's phone, so calling or texting was out. There was still a house full of students to contend with. Rachel hadn't driven so she could have very well walked home; if that's even where she went. The diva was drunk so there was no way of knowing how she'd react.

Quinn weaved and dodged McKinley students as she searched the first floor of her house. The rooms were so crowded that the blonde was sure that she could have easily missed the short brunette. Avoiding the beer bong and flip cup games, she quickly raced up to her bedroom to grab her car keys with the intent of driving around the neighborhood until she found Rachel.

What she wasn't prepared for, was finding the brunette so easily.

There, standing in the middle of the blonde's room—head down, arms slightly extended at her sides, legs standing the width of her shoulders—was a very drunk Rachel Berry. The room was dark, save for swirling rainbow of colors that were emanating from a small light fixture that Quinn had bought several years previously and had only used once.

"Rach…?" Quinn questioned, closing the door softly, and looking puzzled as she observed the brunette.

Instead of answering, however, Rachel leaned over—head still down—and pushed play on the iPod deck that was resting on the blonde's desk.

Quinn's mouth popped open a little as the opening guitar riffed floated around her room. As the song kicked in, Rachel's head snapped up and she started filling in the lyrics over the instrumental.

The diva proceeded to sing and dance to Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" to a stunned Quinn. Several times the blonde went to catch the drunken star, but Rachel shook each stumble off and kept attempting to get through the song. Granted, when she collided with Quinn's dresser as the song hit the bridge, the blonde was sure that Rachel was in a lot of pain. But to the brunette's credit, she hardly faltered in her singing.

Watching Rachel run her hands over her legs and butt repeatedly while singing, "I'ma get your heart racing, in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight," had Quinn's hand firmly clamped over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud and to hide her smile; Rachel was just too drunk to act sensual and it boarder lined on ridiculous.

But Quinn mused, as Rachel jumped up on top of the blonde's bed to sing the last chorus, that the diva was extraordinarily adorable. She watched Rachel's hair fly around her as she belted out the number like she would if she were on the stage at Nationals. And Quinn wasn't oblivious to the lyrics of the song. The passion in which Rachel was singing made it obvious that the brunette wanted Quinn to understand that it was true; each word of each verse meant something to Rachel; it meant something to Quinn as well.

When the song ended—with Rachel's breathing heavy, her arms thrown out in the air on top of the bed—Quinn clapped slowly and chuckled with affection.

"I…wanted…to do…a mashup…of that…with…I Kissed…a Girl…but…there wasn't…any time." Rachel explained, panting and still holding her pose. Quinn laughed a little harder as she covered her face with her palms before looking back at Rachel.

The blonde was very aware that there were a lot of obstacles in their way. Just on the surface, she was scared of her mother's reaction, classmates, even herself. Rachel didn't want anyone to know. Finn would have a conniption. And it would dash any chance of reconciliation between her and her father; if she ever wanted one.

On a deeper level, she and Rachel had little to nothing in common; you can't count glee or exes. Did she like the diva…a little? She liked kissing her a lot and touching her. But she never really allowed herself to look into it. Quinn knew that she was gay the moment Rachel and she kissed; she had never felt _that_ before when kissing a guy.

And the blonde had known for a long time that her specific torture towards Rachel meant _something_ deeper. Last night had clued her in.

But she didn't really know Rachel. Mostly she had avoided her. And what she had seen from the tiny diva hadn't really been enough; she knew that Rachel's worst qualities come out during glee.

And why did Rachel like Quinn? The blonde, for the life of her, couldn't understand what would possess Rachel Berry—of all people—to sing a song for her. She had been wretched to the girl. She _never_ was nice. She _never_ missed an opportunity to show to people that she didn't care for the girl; what if they had caught on to the feelings bubbling just below the surface?

"Did you…did you not like it?" The timid voice caught Quinn's attention and she looked up to see a very nervous brunette staring back.

"I'm having trouble…_understanding_ why you did it." The blonde replied carefully. Rachel finally let her arms fall as she looked around the darkened bedroom.

"I wanted to prove to you that I'm…worth it?" Rachel replied shyly.

Both girls stood awkwardly in the silence as they tried to figure their feelings out.

"Do you even like me?" Quinn whispered. Rachel could just hear the question over the noise from the party below. Slowly, she lowered herself down until she was sitting in the middle of Quinn's bed, biting her lip in thought.

"You're a rather intriguing, Quinn." Rachel started, daring herself not to break eye contact from the blonde. "We both know that there are a multitude of reasons why I _shouldn't_ like you." Quinn swallowed with difficulty and gave the brunette a self-deprecating smile.

"However…" The blonde's ears perked up at the considering tone in Rachel's voice. "There are many raw qualities about you that I must admit I like."

"Really?" Quinn asked disbelievingly. Rachel leaned back on the bed and tried to shake off the sensation that the room was spinning; the rotating rainbow light fixture wasn't helping.

"I like…I like your passion." Quinn's brow furrowed by the compliment, but smiled nonetheless. "Even your more…how should I say…_impish_ acts were always filled with an air of passion that was both obvious and intense." Quinn appreciated how careful Rachel was being but couldn't help but look skeptical.

"I like that you appear so strong yet your vulnerability just shimmers underneath your control. You're very intelligent. You're factually breathtaking. You're quiet in a way that radiates confidence. You're-" Quinn couldn't take it anymore. She cut Rachel off by placing her hand over the girl's mouth and looked down into her eyes with mock annoyance.

"You're making me blush, Rachel, you have to stop." Rachel appeared apologetic and Quinn shook her head to dismiss the brunette's uneasiness.

"How is this even going to work? Huh? We just not tell anyone? We sneak around? I think I've learned my lesson about keeping secrets. And what about Finn? He still loves you, Rachel and I really can't hurt him again." Quinn dropped her hand from Rachel's mouth and folded her arms as she awaited the brunette's answer.

"For once I don't have all the answers, Quinn. What I do know…" Rachel looked around the room and wished that the lights were on so she could see Quinn's features clearly.

"Every time you place your hand over my mouth, much like you did several times today in the arcade, my heart races." The blonde took a small, stumbling step back because of the information.

"When we kiss…Quinn…" Rachel gathered herself as she fought to get the sentence out. "This is different—what we have, it _feels_ different than anything I've felt before. I feel as though I have _no_ control over anything!"

"Yeah…that's what scares me." Quinn grumbled as she moved to sit to Rachel on the bed.

"But that's not something to shy away from, Quinn! Decidedly it's a tad nerve-wracking, but I for one am not going to be deterred just because it's a little unfamiliar."

"So you're scared too?" Quinn questioned softly. Rachel hesitated briefly as she rearranged her thoughts.

"It makes me question a great deal about myself, yes." The two girls sank into silence.

"How so?" Quinn finally asked, unable to let that huge statement just hang there.

"It makes me wonder if anything that I've ever felt before was accurate or if they were just grandiose figments of what I so desperately clung to in dire hopes to complete some predestined design of a well-orchestrated dream!" Rachel exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air in anxiety.

Quinn nodded silently.

"That sums it up." The blonde admitted in a whisper.

"See! You just understood everything I said. And not only could you _grasp_ every single word I uttered, but you _understand_ what I'm talking about."

"I understand what it feels like to follow the expectations of what you _think_ you want, and then to be completely blindsided when you're making out with Rachel Berry and liking it."

"Exactly! Take Finn Hudson for example. Captain of the football team."

"Good looking."

"Charming."

"Sweet."

"Trusting."

"A complete moron."

"Ridiculously tedious."

"Fumbling."

"I didn't feel a thing."

"Not like when I'm with you." Rachel's head spun to meet Quinn's eyes and she all but fell off the bed at what she found. "I can't explain it."

"I can't either."

"I don't think I want to."

"It might be better left unsaid."

"We could just go with it."

"See what may happen."

"Not put too much pressure on ourselves."

"Or each other."

"Give us some time to figure out what it means."

"What we want."

"And if we find out…"

"That it's more than just…sexual."

"That maybe what we feel…"

"What we want is something deeper…"

"Then…"

"Then…?"

"We'll deal with it?" Quinn asked, her lips against Rachel's, breathing hard and shallow.

"Together." Rachel confirmed, but not even aware of what she was saying, too caught up in Quinn.

"I wasn't at Puck's last night."

"Where did you go?" Rachel whispered back, her eyes sliding shut as she enjoyed the feel of Quinn's lips so close.

"Here. I woke up and I just…" The blonde shrugged as if that couldn't complete her sentence. "I'm so sorry, again, for leaving you…I…I didn't know it was your first time and…"And she shrugged again not knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it special."

"Make this time special." Rachel breathed out before fully connecting their lips.

It was their start. A very interesting start at that. It was far from easy.

In the beginning, they kept it very much like a business deal. They both had a busy summer ahead of them and it would be hard to sneak around with Quinn doing Cheerios and all of Rachel's activities all whilst keeping up appearances and hanging out with friends. And Quinn had been right. There were a lot of obstacles they had to contend with. The first made itself known the Friday after the party.

As Quinn was leaving a rather grueling Cheerios practice, her first as a reinstated Cheerio, she had her phone out calling Rachel to see if she wanted to meet up; Santana wasn't talking to Quinn because she rejoined the Cheerios, so the blonde's night was free.

Ten minutes later Quinn was lightly tapping against the Berry's front door awaiting Rachel to answer. The brunette had made sure her father's were preoccupied so that she could intercept Quinn at the door before quickly sneaking her upstairs to her bedroom.

Although Rachel wanted to be somewhat honest with her fathers about her and Quinn, the blonde thought it best if they didn't tell the men anything so that they could sleepovers without Rachel's parents banning the two girls from sharing a bed.

Rachel swiftly moved to the door and looked through the peephole, smiling brightly when she saw Quinn. But as the brunette opened the door and caught sight of the red Cheerios uniform, on instinct, she slammed the door in Quinn's face.

Although it was a miner obstacle, it proceeded to happen every time Quinn would even answer the door at her house or knock on the Berry's door in the outfit. Okay, so sometimes Rachel would just duck and cover. Regardless, it would always briefly put a damper on the mood.

If you were a particularly nosey neighbor of the Berrys', most nights you'd catch sight of flying red, white, and black in the bushes outside the house before a blonde-haired girl would reappear, dressed in something completely different then the cheerleading uniform she showed up in.

On the second night, Rachel arrived at the Fabray residence, via the rose terrace on the outside wall to Quinn's room, armed with a test. As the blonde helped the diva through her bedroom window, Rachel began launching into spiel about how crazy busy they both were and that they should exchange schedules via matching puppy calendars.

"It's just that with you doing Cheerios again and my ever expanding extracurricular activities that are preparing me for future stardom, I feel it's best if we knew exactly where both of us are in our days so that we can fuse our schedules and come up with…" She kept talking and Quinn was busy trying to undress the shorter girl in between sucking on her tan skin.

Rachel understood that she was unique. She also knew that the calendar thing didn't go over well with Finn—she hopped puppies were better than kittens in that regard—but she was also curious to see if Quinn would, a. fill the calendars out, b. make fun of Rachel for doing them, and/or/or all of the above, c. listen to Rachel's reasoning while she was so busy trying to sleep with the girl.

But as the brunette took the calendars out of her bag that also held a change of clothes, she was surprised with Quinn's reaction.

"That's really smart." Was the blonde's reply as she continued ravishing Rachel's neck. The next morning, as Rachel slowly arose from slumber to an empty room, she found the calendar filled out beside her on Quinn's cold side of the bed.

Circled on the date was Cheerios practice and its running time, informing Rachel why she woke up alone. But the brunette couldn't have been more pleased. It appeared as though Quinn had gotten up and immediately filled in all the times and days of her practices, the days she would be at the Jones' household verse her mother's, and tentative plans she had made with friends. Rachel left the Fabray house not long after—avoiding Judy Fabray by way of army crawl—leaving her own calendar packed with activities behind, with a huge smile on her face; this was going to work.

At first it was just night time meet-ups. After long days of practices or hanging out with friends, the girls would sneak each other into bedrooms and make love all night before doing it all over again the next day. The change happened when Mercedes asked Quinn to have a slumber party.

It would just be the two of them, a way to reconnect. And although the blonde wanted to hang out with her roommate, she was a little bummed that she wouldn't get to see Rachel that night.

After inspecting Rachel's calendar to see what was on the diva's agenda, Quinn waited outside the dance studio for brunette knowing that they only had an hour at best.

"Quinn! What a lovely surprise! Were you just in the area and this is a lovely coincidence or- Quinn why are you pushing me?" The blonde never really answered any of Rachel's questions, however. She just wordlessly directed the brunette into her car before driving them to a secluded place before ravishing the stunned Rachel.

"I have plans with Mercedes tonight." Quinn finally said after they've both regained normal breathing.

The next day, however, when Quinn arrived home from her early morning practice—there would be a later practice in a few hours—she found Rachel Berry dressed in very little, lying outstretched on her bed.

And so began the two-a-days. And I don't mean Cheerios practices. Whenever the girls could, they'd meet up throughout their day to make love. The change was happening and neither could detect it. Even when it was so blatantly obvious.

The real first sign was towards the end of July. Quinn got out of practice early because Sue might have had a minor stroke, and although from her stretcher she commanded the girls to keep practicing, the Cheerios all wordlessly packed up their things and left.

But Rachel still had to do her myspace video—which she'd also post on twitter and facebook of course—so Quinn sat on the diva's bed and flipped through a magazine while Rachel did her scales and finally pressed record on her camera and started filming away.

Once the brunette was pleased with her performance, she uploaded the video and posted it before finally sliding into bed with Quinn. It's started out like most nights, they kissed and undressed each other, but eventually the blonde started talking.

"That was really great, Rachel." She mumbled against the other girl's lips.

"Hmm?" They rarely talked through these exchanges—or in general—so Rachel was a little surprised when the blonde spoke. She was also a tad caught up in Quinn's lips so she had missed what was said.

"Your performance was amazing." Always one to enjoy praise, Rachel pulled away from Quinn's embrace and proceeded to peg the blonde with questions about song choice, pitch, energy…so on and so forth. It wasn't long until they were in a full-blown _actual_ conversation about all things musical; a conversation in which both girls got thoroughly heated.

They argued about genres, glee, Broadway shows, movie adaptations…the list went on. They argued like they always had…but something was different; they were playful.

"If I recall correctly, you said that my voice was amazing." Quinn challenged as she looked up at Rachel, who was straddling the blonde's waist.

"I recall no such conversation, Quinn Fabray." Rachel challenged back.

"Our first night, you said that my speaking voice is enough to get the attention of libidos everywhere, never mind my singing voice. I remember distinctly because it was the most surprising thing that happened that night, sex included." Quinn supplied, smirking coyly with a raised eyebrow.

"Well I _was_ severely intoxicated that evening and alcohol impairs judgment." Rachel grinned back as Quinn scoffed. The blonde proceeded to flip their positions and mercilessly tickle the brunette who kept chanting that Quinn would constantly go sharp.

In the end, both girls won, because you're always a winner if you have an orgasm. But they had fun with each other. They had spent the evening laughing and talking instead of just having sex. And it would set the precedent for the rest of their time together.

In Rachel's opinion, however, things got really different towards the end of August. But to Quinn, who knew a lot more about the situation than the brunette, the beginning of August is when things actually changed.

Rachel was standing outside her dance studio waiting for her father to pick her up when she caught sight of blonde hair across the street. Smiling, Rachel looked both ways before she dodged traffic to catch up with Quinn, texting her father not to pick her up as she went.

The diva was hoping that the blonde was there to surprise her but was slightly dismayed when Quinn kept walking, apparently unaware of the diva. Despite the rebuff, Rachel continued to try to catch up with the taller girl and eventually did outside the newest restaurant in Lima.

"Quinn!" Rachel called out. Upon hearing her name, Quinn turned around and smiled softly at the brunette.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" The diva asked as she lunged forward in attempt to catch the stumbling blonde.

"I don't feel very well." Quinn answered. Rachel observed that the blonde looked paler than usual and appeared a little sweaty. "I feel lightheaded." Almost as though it were to prove her point, Quinn stumbled again and Rachel held onto the slim frame to steady the blonde.

"What have you eaten today?" The brunette asked, wiping blonde hair off the Cheerio's forehead and examining the girl with a critical eye.

"I had one of Sue's shakes before practice this morning." Rachel's mouth opened wide in shock as she gasped. It was nearly six o'clock at night and Quinn's practice had been at the crack of dawn.

"Quinn Fabray! That is unacceptable!" Rachel jeered, horrified. "You _must_ take better care of yourself and…" The brunette kept lecturing the blonde about calorie intake versus calories burned while Quinn braced herself against the restaurant they stood outside of.

"Let's just go in here and get something to eat." Quinn declared, cutting off Rachel's spiel and leading them towards the entrance. "I'll give our names in and you should probably change in the bathrooms." Rachel looked uneasy leaving Quinn alone, but she was only in a leotard—hardly appropriate attire for the only upscale restaurant in Lima.

When they were finally both seated Rachel silently squealed. It was almost like a date. True, it wasn't planned and Quinn hadn't _exactly_ asked her out, but there they were at an actual restaurant—a really nice and expensive restaurant—just the two of them.

"There are an extensive amount of vegan entrees here!" The brunette said excitedly. Quinn casually shrugged and munched on some bread at Rachel's prodding.

As they ate they chatted as was now their way and by the end of the evening—after Quinn paid—the blonde drove them back to Rachel's where they made love all evening.

It was the best non-date Rachel had ever been on; and she had been on a few so she knew what she was talking about. But the diva didn't dare bring up the amazing night to Quinn, too afraid that it would freak the blonde out and it would never happen again. She knew that they were only keeping things casual—despite the fact that Rachel was falling extremely hard.

A week after dinner, Rachel was again standing outside her dance studio waiting for her ride. Although this time Quinn was scheduled to pick her up. They were going to do what they had been doing for the last few weeks every Thursday and drive somewhere secluded to make love before Quinn had her evening Cheerios practice.

Right on time the blonde pulled up and Rachel got in to the front seat only to see a scowling Quinn.

"What's wrong?" The diva was concerned when she didn't immediately receive a kiss.

"Nothing, my car is just acting up." The blonde brushed off her aggravation, gave Rachel a soft kiss on the lips, and proceeded to ask the diva about her class as she drove.

Rachel was just up to the part of her day when she outshone her entire ballet class, when Quinn started to groan.

"What is it?" Rachel asked, as the blonde's eyes flicked between the road and the dash of her car.

"My car is overheating! I knew something was up!" Quinn pulled into the shopping center up ahead, parked, and shut of the engine. "Just great." She muttered.

"What should we do? Do you have triple A, should I call my fathers? Mr. Hummel?" Rachel was in a state of panic, knowing nothing about cars herself, and even suggested getting out of the car in case it exploded.

"It should be fine," Quinn told the diva with a chuckle. "It just needs to cool off. But we have some time to kill and this parking lot is a little crowded for what we initially had in mind." The blonde looked around the shopping center and pointed. "Hey look. Why don't we just grab a movie?"

Rachel looked up excitedly at the Lima movie theatre and dashed out of the car. "Do you think that new romantic comedy I was telling you about is playing soon? Oh I would love to see it!" Quinn had to double her stride to keep up with the brunette, but soon they were at the ticket booth buying entry to said romantic comedy that would be starting in less than ten minutes—just enough time to buy snacks and find seats.

Again Rachel marveled at her luck. Although it was another non-date and more misfortune had befallen the blonde, the diva had scored more time with Quinn outside the bedroom and, like last time, the Cheerio had paid for everything.

Rachel laugh, cried, and held Quinn tightly throughout the whole film. It was even better than she thought it would be, but the brunette guessed that it was more the blonde's company than the actual movie. Regardless, it had been a magical evening for Rachel, and it only got better when she discovered that Quinn's evening practice had been canceled and they still had the rest of the night.

It was by far the best summer so far of Rachel Berry's life. Her activities were going very well, she was hanging out with her glee friends, and she was falling in love. Add the fact that she convinced her fathers to allow her to get the new iPhone after she lied and told them that her old phone magically disappeared—she was far too scared of Judy Fabray to get her old one back—and it was the icing on a very perfect cake.

No, she and Quinn weren't official. And, no, they didn't talk about their relationship at all, but they were doing wonderfully and Rachel didn't see a reason to rock the boat. If Quinn were feeling even half of what the brunette was feeling, it would only be a matter of time before they declared their love.

Rachel was actually considering the pros and cons of "coming out" while she scaled the rose terrace outside Quinn's bedroom window when she had heard it. The door inside Quinn's room slammed harshly and Rachel winced at the sound before she hauled herself through the window.

"Quinn? What's the matter?" The blonde was visibly pissed and the diva treaded lightly, knowing the fire in Quinn's hazel eyes could easily turn ugly.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Rachel let it go and not long after they made love. A few hours later, however, while Quinn was in the shower, Rachel—not really snooping—found a crumbled up piece of paper inside the wastebasket next to the blonde's desk.

The flyer advertised Lima's annual charity golf outing that Rachel had heard of but never actively contributed in. All proceeds went to the children's hospital and she and her fathers sent a check each year; the diva knew her talents were wide and varied, but sports were never among her strengths.

When Quinn got out of the shower, Rachel approached her about the flyer and found out the reason the blonde was so upset. It turned out that each year Quinn actually played in the tournament, all eighteen holes, but with her father. The blonde proceeded to rant and rave about how unfair it was that the tournament was now tainted because of the "miserable bastard" who had skipped town with his "freak of a cliché" and now she couldn't help the "poor sick children" because of the "small-minded prick."

"Quinn, you can still play in the tournament. You don't need your father." Rachel soothed as she softly rubbed the taller girl's back.

"Rachel, I haven't played in over a year, I would be terrible." They were quiet for a few moments before a brilliant idea struck the diva.

"We'll practice!" Rachel exclaimed to a confused looking Quinn. "No listen! We'll go to the shooting range and you can do whatever you're supposed to do there and then we'll play mini golf to work on your little game!" Quinn didn't bother to correct Rachel on her terminology.

"Yeah…okay. That sounds good." Quinn finally agreed, smiling shyly.

"It's a date." Rachel smiled back just as bashfully, but her grin only grew when the blonde nodded, again not correcting the brunette's terminology.

Since the tournament was at the end of August, they had time to get Quinn's game back in shape. Twice a week they went to the driving range and mini golf course to practice and the blonde always smiled when she would pick Rachel up and see the tiny diva decked out in full-on argyle, head to toe. Quinn told Rachel on more than one occasion that golf was the star's game, on wardrobe alone.

Yes, Rachel Berry was pleased with how close they were getting. Not every trip to their golf practices were alone, however, often other glee members would join them. It was nice to see her friends and also spend time with Quinn, but it marginally infuriated the diva that she couldn't kiss the blonde when she wanted to each time Quinn would wrap her arms around Rachel and teach her the proper way to hit a golf ball.

Not to say that Quinn wouldn't do it, she still did; much to Rachel's surprise. But no one would bat an eyelash when the blonde would stand behind Rachel and place her hands on top of the brunette's to demonstrate proper technique. No one seemed to care that Quinn laughed at everything Rachel said or casually touch the smaller girl. Everyone was friendly with Rachel now, so it wasn't a big deal that Quinn was as well.

Things were going smoothly; which scared Rachel slightly. Puck and Mercedes were doing well and somehow the black diva was able to make Noah sweeter and not stray. Finn hadn't bothered Rachel since the party; but that was mostly due in fact that the brunette had her phone number changed in fear of Judy Fabray. Finn hadn't confronted Rachel about the Santana rumor and that suited the diva just fine.

Artie and Tina were a very compatible double-date couple—even if the pair didn't know they were on a double-date with the girls—and enjoyed playing mini golf with Rachel and Quinn. And Kurt and Mike were surprisingly great at the driving range and had been easily swayed in signing up for the tournament as well. For some reason, Matt had kept a distance from everyone since the party, although no one knew why; but I do, dear readers.

And much to both Quinn's and Rachel's relief, Santana and Brittany never hung out—Santana still pissed at Quinn for rejoining Cheerios. Add that to the fact that most of the undesirable McKinley students, such as Karofsky, were away all summer, and it was an exceptional August.

Yep, it was a magical time.

Except no one knew about Rachel and Quinn. And Finn was apparently still in love with the diva. And school was starting up in a week. And the blonde's mother would most likely kick Quinn out again if and when she found out about her youngest daughter being gay. And the girls never talked about their relationship.

All summer Rachel Berry brushed these thoughts aside. But the fact of the matter remained; they were starting school again and their already hectic schedules were about to get worse. And if they weren't out, it would complicate matters greatly.

Rachel went to bed early on school nights. After classes they had glee. Quinn would have Cheerios practices after that. Then there was homework. Weekends would be for their family and friends. And if they were going to squeak in a relationship between all of that, people were going either find out or be told because Rachel didn't want to part with her extensive Quinn-time.

The thought of being around Quinn all day and not being able to touch her in some small, intimate way would kill her. Especially since they wouldn't have their nights to make up for it. Rachel was hardly ready to tell everyone that she had fallen in love with the Ice Queen of McKinley, but…she kind of was starting not to care what people thought.

It was crazy, she knew, but she loved Quinn Fabray. The blonde who had treated her like crap but never really apologized for it. The Cheerio who had took her virginity but never asked her out on a proper date. The beautiful girl who had made Rachel fall head over heels in love but never _really _opened up. Rachel didn't care. And it surprised her, but she didn't.

So that's why she was hovering outside Quinn's bedroom window late the night before the golf tournament; she needed to _really_ talk to the blonde.

"Rach? What are you doing here? I thought I was supposed to get a good night's sleep?" Quinn said as she helped Rachel through the window. It was true, the diva had informed Quinn that she wouldn't be meeting up with the blonde so that Quinn could be properly rested for the golf outing the next day so that she could do well and raise lots of money for the sick children. Yet, there she was.

"What are we?" Rachel blurted out as she stood before Quinn in the middle of the blonde's room.

"What…W-what are we?" Quinn stuttered, confused.

"I'm in love with you!" Rachel declared, practically screaming the declaration as she threw up her arms. "I'm in love with you, Quinn Fabray and I think we need to discuss us properly!"

If getting Quinn to promptly leave her mother's house in favor of staying over at Mercedes' to avoid Rachel was diva's desired outcome, then Rachel Berry got her wish. But of course that wasn't what Rachel wanted to happen when she poured her heart out to the blonde.

They went a week without talking.

Rachel missed her rehearsals and skipped her practices. She avoided her friends and gave her new bedazzled iPhone to her fathers so she wouldn't be tempted to contact the blonde. She lost three and a half pounds that week because food was not at all appealing to the distraught diva. She was going crazy without the girl she loved.

So she made a choice. Seven days after the declaration—a night Judy would be working late—Rachel Berry went over to the Fabray house to confront the blonde. She let herself in with the key that was hidden in the garage and waited for Quinn to get home from practice.

When Quinn let herself into her mother's house she was momentarily stunned to see Rachel standing in her living, holding a bottle of Grey Goose, and crying silent tears.

"I know that I may have pushed you," Rachel started, her lip trembling as she got out the speech she had prepared. "And I know that I can be dramatic and high maintenance," Quinn gently set down her Cheerios bag as she moved further into the darkened living room. "And I'm very sorry that I got caught up in this because we both agreed we'd keep it casual," Rachel gulped as she sobbed a little more. "But can you just forget what I said and can we go back to the way it was."

The brunette looked desperate as she held onto the bottle of alcohol, her eyes pleading with Quinn to give her another shot. "If it is easier for you we can drink…and…and then maybe you'll like me again or-"

They didn't end up drinking that night. Instead Quinn held Rachel for hours and kissed her softly as she reassured the tiny diva over and over again that she never stopped liking her and that she was just scared. She apologized to Rachel for everything. Every insult, every mean word. They didn't talk about everything but by the next morning the brunette was happily in Quinn's arms.

That's why their morning wake-up call was so irritating. Judy Fabray knocked lightly on her daughter's door and Rachel quickly slipped off the bed and hid under it quite naked but wrapped in a sheet.

"Hi honey, breakfast is ready." Judy told her daughter, smiling brightly. This bothered Quinn. In all the years she lived with her parents her mother only made breakfast on Sundays. Now it was an everyday occurrence when Quinn spent the night.

"Would you stop bribing me!" Quinn shouted, stunning Judy. "I'm not moving back in! So stop making breakfast and stop throwing parties where you act like a teenager, and stop asking me about my day when you really don't care! I know you only want me to move back in because you're lonely and I'm not living with someone who doesn't accept who I am!" Later the blonde would hyperventilate over her behavior; she had never screamed at her mother before.

"Honey," Judy collapsed onto Quinn's bed in shock. "I'm…I'm sorry that you feel this way but I swear this time is different and-"

"I'm gay!" Quinn blurted out but with confidence. Under the bed Rachel Berry's eyes went wide. "I'm very gay and my lesbian lover is currently hiding underneath my bed!" Rachel squeaked and froze where she lay now not so hidden.

"I'm not going to _stop_ being gay cause I can't help it! _That's_ why I can't live with you because you'll never accept it and I'm sick and tired of hiding who I am just to make your life more comfortable!" Quinn hissed as she hastily got out of her bed and grabbed her clothes and Rachel's before she turned to look at her shocked mother.

"Come on, Rachel!" The younger blonde huffed, staring down her mother as she waited for Rachel. The brunette slowly slid out from underneath her bed awkwardly, but when she caught sight of Quinn's proud demeanor, she stood a little taller and humphed.

"Hello, Mrs. Fabray," Rachel said, fixing the white sheet tighter around her naked body. "You owe me for my phone! Good night, Mrs. Fabray." The diva nodded and, with as much dignity as she could muster, nodded to the older blonde before purposefully strutting across the room and through the door Quinn held open for her. Once they were in Quinn's car the hyperventilating started. They both breathed into paper bags for nearly a half hour.

But much later that night, Quinn officially moved out of the Jones' house when Judy came to pick her up there. They privately spoke in the living room, crying and talking, until Quinn was convinced that her mother loved her unconditionally and they'd get through everything. Mercedes was sad to see the blonde leave, but she knew that something kind of amazing happened that night between Quinn and Judy, so she didn't fight it.

Coming out to her mother sated Rachel in the coming weeks. Although they had yet discuss "them," the diva knew that it was a huge step for Quinn and it was only a matter of time before the blonde made their relationship official.

But school was slated to start in a few days and Quinn had yet to pop the question. No, not that one, the other one; the one where Quinn asked Rachel to be her girlfriend and they came out to their friends. Rachel was getting antsy.

The Saturday before classes begun, the pair was watching a movie at Quinn's house. The blonde had been particularly affectionate that evening and instead of it pleasing the brunette, it was making her angry.

"You smell good." Quinn murmured as she placed yet another kiss on Rachel's hair where they lay. Frustration grew and the diva snapped.

"But I don't smell good enough to be your girlfriend?" Rachel muttered to herself but hoping the blonde heard it.

"I'm sorry?" Quinn asked, chuckling. The two girls separated from their intertwined position and Rachel glared at the blonde.

"Ask me out! Ask me to be your girlfriend! Tell me that you love me or at the very least that you have some sort of affection for me! You never tell me how you _feel_! I've been patient and I've waited but how much longer do you expect me to wait? Ask me!" Quinn frowned deeply before she narrowed her eyes.

"Um…"

"No! No, ums Quinn! Do not for one second think that I'm not extremely proud of you for coming out to your mother, because I am! But you have yet to tell our friends, you haven't asked me out on a proper date, and you still refused to let me tell my fathers or meet them!" Rachel folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

"And why exactly must _I_ be the one to ask _you_ out?" Quinn hissed as her eyebrow rose dangerously. Rachel blanched in confusion.

"And why wouldn't you be the one?"

"I'm sorry, but why is that assumed?" Rachel huffed as she fought to quickly put her arguments in place.

"You were the one who made my life a living hell!"

"I made the first move kissing you that night!"

"You're extremely religious and I was waiting for you to accept it!"

"I came out to my mother!"

"I told you I loved you!"

"You also said that to Finn and Jesse!"

"I gave you my virginity!"

"You threw your virginity at me that night! I barely had time to catch it!"

"I drunkenly came up with a choreographed dance and sang to you!"

"I was the one that started the two-a-days!"

"I _actually_ asked you on a date!"

"I can't be responsible for hurting Finn again!"

"Oh you hate, Finn, you just don't want to feel guilty!"

"I like Finn somewhat, you're the one that's ashamed of me!"

"You're just embarrassed to be dating me!"

"You think I'm a bitch!"

"Well I'm not asking you out!"

"Well I'm not asking _you_ out!"

"Good, cause I won't accept!"

"Neither will I!"

"It's probably for the best because _I_ don't want to hurt Finn again!"

"I already said that, Rachel! That's _my_ point, _not yours!" _

"Well…we should probably wait to make it official anyway until he's over me so we won't hurt him." Rachel stammered, a little less heated but her arms still folded and her lips still pouty.

"Fine! We'll make it official after he's over you. But I'm not going to be the one to make it official! No one has _every_ asked me to be their girlfriend and for once I want someone else to do it!" Quinn too was less angry, but she was still a little irritated.

"Whatever, I am not going to be the one that institutes a serious commitment and I would appreciate if you didn't lie about previous relationships!"

"I'm not lying! I had Santana tell Finn that we were dating and what happened with Puck could hardly be called a courtship! But Finn asked _you_ out and Puck asked _you_ out and Jesse St. Jackass asked _you_ out but no, no one will ask _me_ out!"

"Well maybe I'd consider it if you weren't embarrassed by me."

"You're ashamed of me because I'm a bitch." Quinn grumbled as she allowed Rachel to snuggle up to her.

"Well it's not like it matters because I'm not asking you out and _you're_ not asking me out." They both sat quietly as the movie played on in the background, neither girl really paying attention to it, too busy thinking over what the other had said.

After a moment Rachel sighed and Quinn tightened her hold around her. Judy was flipping through the mail and waved to the girls silently as she walked into the room before she headed up stairs to give them privacy, just getting home from work.

"I hope we have a lot of classes together." Rachel breathed out as she played with Quinn's fingers.

"Hmm, me too."

"What do you think my first glee club solo should be?"

"You should do that mashup you told me about." Quinn whispered against Rachel's ear before she kissed the lobe. Rachel sighed again as she smiled.

"Maybe I'll sing 'At Last,' in victory after you finally submit and ask me out."

"If you're looking for a challenge, Berry, game on." Quinn said against the skin of Rachel's neck before she kissed and licked the column.

"I think I'm going to like junior year." Rachel said a moment later, her eyes sliding shut as she enjoyed Quinn's kisses.

"Think how far you'll have come; asking the soon-to-be head Cheerio out."

"Keep dreaming, Fabray." Rachel mumbled through a shudder.

"I don't have to dream, Rach. I'm as positive that I'll be head Cheerio as I am that you'll be begging me to be your girlfriend."

This current line of bantering continued long into the night and all through their love making. And when both girls were alone at their respective houses Sunday, they both plotted ways to get the other to crack first: Rachel deciding to pray on Quinn's embarrassment of the tiny diva, the blonde smirking as she thought of ways to prove just how bitchy she could be.

Of course they weren't going to hurt each other in the process; just infuriate the other enough to have them cave.

Junior year _would_ be interesting; obstacles and all.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the wait. And sorry for the length, it's long. I still have more to tell with this story, although I'm unsure when I'll update again. Sorry about the mistakes, thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy. _

Quinn Fabray sighed in contentment as she secured her arms around the body she was holding, nuzzling deeper into the soft neck before kissing the skin a few times. She had just been dreaming a perfect dream involving the girl in her arms and she was thoroughly surprised to find that the real world was actually better than the dream.

Rachel. She loves when she dreams of the tiny, brunette diva. It doesn't happen nearly as often as it should. However, she had awoken to Rachel in her bed, so it's okay. But then again, _that_ doesn't happen as nearly often as it should either.

It's the morning of the first day of their junior year and Quinn had trouble falling asleep. It was nearly impossible. Today would be that day that the blonde went to Coach Sylvester to ask for her captainship back and Quinn knew it would put further distance between her and Santana…and possibly her and Rachel. But she _had_ to do it. There was no way to avoid it.

When and if she and Rachel came out to McKinley meant that the only way they'd survive is if Quinn was on top again. More importantly, the only way _Rachel_ would survive was if the blonde was captain. Quinn kept her eyes closed for several more seconds as she considered that thought. If she were being _really_ honest, getting her captain seat back had more to do with Rachel agreeing to date her.

Quinn thought it was only fair, and something she'd _never_ announce out loud, that she be more afraid of coming out than Rachel. I mean, hello, everyone knows Quinn Fabray's story. For _her_ to be gay…And then insult to injury, she was with _Rachel Berry?_

But somehow the blonde wasn't too concerned about the backlash. She was fairly certain that she could take it, especially since her mother was handling it so well. What truly bothered her more than anything was that Rachel wasn't shouting about their relationship from the rooftops.

Quinn was convinced Rachel liked her body post-baby—the diva did slyly mentioned she wouldn't be opposed to performing in a sex tape for their own viewing pleasure, which despite the blonde vehemently shooting down, gave her hope that her body couldn't be all that bad if Rachel was willing to see it from every angle. And the brunette seemed to enjoy Quinn's company, so that was good.

But then why was Rachel still nervous about telling everyone? Every time they spoke of it the diva acted as though it was going to be a gruesome fall-out and Quinn was pretty sure that was supposed to be _her_ reaction, _not_ Rachel's! The brunette seemed like she was such a big person for being with Quinn and the blonde couldn't shake the feeling that Rachel was somehow lowering herself by being with the Cheerio.

This did nothing to boast the blonde's self-esteem. Rachel wanted constant reinforcement that Quinn desired her, but did very little to return the favor it felt like. And although the blonde _wanted_ to make things official between them, those doubts and fears played heavily on her mind in a way that kept Rachel at a firm distance. Sure, Quinn did her best to be a good "girlfriend," but she still wasn't fully committed to Rachel because of those worries.

So becoming head Cheerio again would be a duel victory: the popular status to protect them while making Rachel proud to be with her. It didn't even factor into Quinn's thinking that she didn't _want_ to be head Cheerio again…or a Cheerio at all for that matter.

Even though that's where Quinn thoughts lay, she still managed to hold Rachel a little tighter, hoping that there were a few minutes left before her alarm would go off and she'd have to get up and start getting ready for school.

Wait a second…

"Rachel!" Quinn jerked up, startled, as it finally hit her that Rachel was in her bed. "What the hell are you doing here?" The blonde asked, _very_ confused. Because Rachel Berry did not fall asleep in the blonde's bed the previous night, citing that it would be important for the pair to get their rest and sharing a bed rarely led to that.

"Oh, good, you're finally up." Rachel commented as she sat up slowly, not at all thrown-off by Quinn's words. "Several times I thought you had awakened, however, it turns out that you grope and kiss me a lot even while sleeping. I found it very sweet." Rachel admitted with a wide smile. But Quinn was shaking her head in confusion, looking at the brunette expectantly.

"Oh, I apologize. My father drove me over almost a half hour ago because I wanted to see you before school."

"I thought I was taking you to school."

"Yes, I meant before that." Quinn's head spun around to inspect her alarm clock and the glaring red lights informed her of what she most feared; it was only five o'clock in the morning.

"Rachel! What the hell?"

"Well I wanted to give you one last chance to make our relationship official before we attended school. I know that we aren't planning to come out as a couple until we are both comfortable and Finn's heart no longer beats only for me," Quinn subtly rolled her eyes at that. "However, there is still the matter of our own title to place on our situation, without the knowledge of our friends. I wanted to give you this final opportunity."

Quinn collapsed back onto her bed and groaned in frustration before shooting back up again.

"Is your father still outside in the car?"

"Well daddy said he had paperwork that needed attending to and sitting in the car would give him ample time to finish, even though he is _still_ unaware of our relationship, he felt compelled to drive me over here when I told him that my friend was in great distress."

"Rachel!"

"Fine, I'm going. If…you are _sure_ you have nothing to ask me? Nothing at all?" Rachel looked hopeful yet smug as she asked and Quinn merely ran her fingers through her hair before shaking her head.

"Well, Quinn, in that case I would ask you to be prompt in your arrival at my house so that I can disembark at a reasonable and timely fashion." Rachel said as she hopped out of bed and smiled broadly with her hands behind her back. The blonde just blinked up at the diva several times before Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I know I gave you this speech last evening but I wanted to reiterate just in case you had forgotten."

"I didn't forget." Despite her tone, Rachel could see the playful twinkle in the blonde's eyes and leaned down to softly kiss Quinn's lips.

"And you took your car to Mr. Hummel's, correct? We can't afford to be late for school because it overheated." The diva asked, hands on her hips as she recalled how the car acted up which lead to the second unofficial date at the movies as they waited for it to cool down. Quinn nodded empathically and rolled her eyes.

"_Yes_, Rachel."

"Then I'll see you soon." The blonde hummed back as she watched Rachel carefully slip out of her room before she curled up in her covers again. Something about Rachel's visit was off, but Quinn couldn't put her finger on it.

Why did the diva feel the need to stop by so early in the morning to check that they were still without a title…especially when they'd see each other on their way to school?

At a more reasonable hour, Quinn would figure it out.

When the blonde pulled up to the Berry house and honked the horn, she was momentarily preoccupied with tightening her ponytail so she didn't notice Rachel leave the house. But when she caught movement, Quinn turned her head before her mouth immediately dropped open.

It. Was. On.

Rachel had drawn first blood in the you-ask-me-out-or-else-I-will-do-something-to-embarrass-you war. Quinn wasn't really looking forward to it, knowing that she'd have to play the bitch card in order to get Rachel to crack. But Rachel appeared proud of her tactic; playing-up her outcast role to make Quinn surrender.

The brunette was wearing a bright pink, bulbous dress with a humongous bow tied around the waste and two big puffs on the shoulders. Her hair was in a high-side pony that did absolutely nothing to distract from the hideous blue eye shadow and bright red lipstick the diva had painted on.

Quinn had practically fallen out of her car to prevent Rachel from entering and in shock. "No! _Absolutely_ _not_ _fair_!" She then gave a loud, struggling whimper when she caught sight of the open-toed white pumps and white stockings Rachel had paired with the ugly dress.

"Why, Quinn, you don't like my outfit?" Rachel asked smugly as she ran her hands down the taffeta nightmare. The blonde was gapping at the girl, finger pointed at her accusingly as she stuttered. "Aw, you're speechless," Rachel gushed sarcastically. "Why don't I give you a moment to carefully formulate your words so you can properly ask me to be your girlfriend?" At this, the blonde's jaw snapped shut and she straightened her shoulders tensely. Instead of answering, however, Quinn unlocked the passenger side door and held it open for the tiny brunette with a faux smile stretch across her lips.

Rachel only hesitated for a moment before she returned the fake grin and slid into the car, careful to hide her anxiety. She didn't think Quinn would resist; Rachel had packed clothes that she thought she'd change into in Quinn's car on the way to school having won the war. She didn't foresee the blonde's stubborn streak.

"So I supposed I won't be seeing much of you today?" Rachel asked miserably as they drove towards McKinley. So far the car ride had been silent and thick with tension; Rachel dreading their destination and her decision as Quinn formulation a plan.

"Why do you say that?" Quinn asked, caught off-guard by the brunette's tone and the slump of her shoulders.

"You're actually going to be seen with me when I'm dressed liked this?" Rachel asked incredulously. Quinn shook her head a little. The war was what it was, but at the end of the day they both knew that they would be in a serious relationship if the other would just ask. And the blonde, in all good consciousness, couldn't let Rachel walk down the halls of William McKinley, dressed as she was, alone.

Without another thought, Quinn cut-down a side street, and then another, in a familiar loop the pair were use to from their mid afternoon rendezvous. Quinn cut the engine in the abandoned parking lot and turned to look at Rachel. She couldn't quite help chuckling as she played with the brunette's ridiculous hairstyle getting the diva to frown.

"You'll see me." Quinn whispered before closing the distance between her lips and Rachel's. They kissed slowly as they both conveyed their fears silently. It was going to be a difficult day, Rachel's outfit notwithstanding.

Without breaking the kiss, Quinn started the car again and gave Rachel's lips a final touch before pulling away and resuming their drive. "You brought a change of clothes, right?"

Immense relief hit Rachel and she actually sighed as she smiled. "Yes!" And then they excitement built. _This is it_, Rachel thought, watching Quinn's blank profile as they drove. The blonde was _finally_ going to ask her and she was cutting it close; they were almost at school. But Rachel didn't even mind if she were a bit late for classes, as long as she could get out of that dress and officially belong to the blonde.

But Quinn just nodded and said nothing more. And as the blonde pulled into the parking lot, Rachel broke out in a sweat of anxiety. "Quinn-" Rachel said, her tone stunned.

"One last kiss." The Cheerio said happily before pecking the diva's lips and swiftly getting out of her car. She waited for Rachel just outside, but the brunette sat in shocked silence.

"I can't freaking believe this!" Rachel hissed before she stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind her and angrily hitching up the handle to her bag before tugging it harshly behind her.

The diva was infuriated but was relieved that Quinn didn't leave her side as they entered the school. But the blonde reasoned, if Rachel really wanted out of the dress, she'd ask Quinn out and this whole thing would be done with. But no, she hadn't and now she'd have to live with her consequences.

All movement halted when the pair entered the double doors of the school, openly gawking at the spectacle that was Rachel Berry. The diva was humiliated, but did her best to stand tall and silently walk beside the Cheerio. Quinn quite liked that the attention was off of her, no one really knowing that she was back on the squad but too immersed in the sight of Rachel to truly take notice to her own outfit—or the fact that she was walking down the hallway with the diva.

She confidently walked beside the brunette with a smug smile on her face, the stares, gasps, and gossip beaded off of her in the knowledge that she was definitely winning this round of the war. The blonde held her head high as they stopped at Rachel's locker, the diva ducking hers as they approached.

"Oh sweet Jesus!" Kurt said in awe from where he stood near Quinn's locker, bouncing off his own in terror at the sight of the diva. The blonde silently went through her morning routine as Rachel stood beside her fuming. Kurt looked as though he wanted to intervene several times on Rachel's behalf, half attempting to approach, half unsure if he wanted to be that close to the brunette, as though her 80's cliché horror of an outfit was contagious.

"Hey, girl?" Mercedes finally said, after she almost ran into a locker at the sight of Rachel. When she collected herself she approached her friend and exchanged hugs with the Cheerio, all while keeping her eyes on Rachel and the diva's furrowed brow and grimace.

Quinn talked to Mercedes, asked her questions, made a few comments about her ex-roommates fabulous back to school attire, but all of it was lost on Mercedes who just continued to stare at Rachel. _Everyone_ was staring at Rachel still, and the tiny diva crossed her arms over her chest as she pouted; thoroughly pissed that her plan backfired. She had spent all of Sunday searching for the dress she wore to her bat mitzvah. Of course it still fit, and there was no pay-off.

When it was clear neither Mercedes nor Kurt were going to contribute to the conversation, Quinn chuckled before guiding Rachel down the hallway to deliver the pouting girl to her first period class.

"You still look beautiful." Quinn winked before she sashayed down the hall to get to her own classroom, slightly pleased now that all eyes were on her and her Cheerio's uniform. The blonde's parting words did help Rachel slightly and she turned to enter the classroom with more courage, if not a little unsure of how she would up the ante the next day.

By second period, all Rachel wanted to do was crawl into a hole. The only bright spot was that once Finn caught sight of Rachel, he quickly turned and retreated down the hallway, obviously too ashamed to be seen with the diva.

The brunette was relieved that she had a study, not in any rush to hurry to another class dressed as she was, and took her time walking down the deserted hallways as she plotted her revenge.

The Slushie came out of nowhere and Rachel was far too shocked than anything to find it in herself to be angry. She sputtered dramatically before wiping the ice out of her eyes to reveal a nervous and shaking boy who couldn't be older than a freshman staring guiltily back at her.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized loudly before taking off at a sprint, leaving Rachel alone in the hallway.

"Of course!" The brunette raged, wringing the ice out of her ponytail before changing directions and heading off to the nearest bathroom.

As she splashed water on her face repeatedly, Rachel worried if she should have packed additional changes of clothes in the event of multiple Slushie attacks, angry at herself for forgetting how she was seen at McKinley and not being more prepared. The brunette leaned over the sink as the water rushed out of the spigot, allowing herself a moment to sulk.

"Mmmm, you taste good." Came the purring whisper at her ear before a tongue slowly licked the remnants of the Slushie off of her neck. Rachel shut off the water shakily as Quinn continued kissing and licking her neck. "Worth every penny."

At her words, Rachel spun around at looked up incredulously at the smirking blonde. "_You_ did this?" The brunette hissed, livid that Quinn was still grinning at the accusation. The Cheerio nodded slowly before she ducked down and began licking off the melting ice at Rachel's collarbone.

Rachel saw red, anger, hurt, and betrayal coursed through her as Quinn continued her sexual ministrations. "Stay still or I can't help you clean up." The blonde purred again, lapping up the grape Slushie.

"I can't-You are-I'm so-!" Rachel couldn't formulate a sentence she was so furious. But Quinn just chuckled as she released the brunette's hair out of the ponytail and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl's waste while her tongue licked wet skin.

"I threatened him to not tell anyone ever. He'll never do it again. No one saw. And you have a study so you won't be late for class. Now stop moving and let me clean you up." It took Rachel a further minute to realize that Quinn had just given her a free-pass out of the dress—and also an excuse to fool around a little.

"Aren't you missing class?" Rachel moaned as Quinn slid her hands down the front of the dress's collar, retrieving chips of ice that had fallen, in a cover to cup the diva's breasts.

"I planned it so Mr. Schue witnessed the whole thing and asked him to write me up a slip for my next class. I told him that I needed to 'be there for you.' I thought he was going to cry." Quinn laughed, recalling how touched the teacher was when the blonde declared that she wanted to make sure the brunette was okay.

"I still can't believe you ordered a Slushie facial on me." Rachel said, her tone only slightly stern.

"Why not, it's kind of poetic. I ordered your first one, it makes sense that I ordered your last. It's all full-circle like."

"I firmly believe you need lessons on romanticism, Quinn Fabray." But again, the diva was only sort of serious. In truth…it _did_ kind of feel romantic. Although the blonde hadn't asked her to be her girlfriend, she had given her a way out of the dress; she still saved face, Rachel wasn't the one giving in.

"You say that and yet, you still don't know what I have planned. I hate to hear your thoughts when you find out." Quinn said enigmatically before she winked and left the bathroom, Rachel now changed and clean.

A few periods later, Rachel was staring, horrified, as she witnessed the firing squad-like attack that Quinn orchestrated. Over a dozen freshmen were standing in shocked silence as the cold Slushies dripped down their faces and several Cheerios cackled and high-fived before turning and strutting down the halls.

"You can stop this, you know." Quinn whispered in Rachel's ear as she passed the diva, slowly swaying her hips as she confidently walked to her next class. But Rachel couldn't believe her eyes. How could the blonde be so cruel? The freshmen quickly scattered, leaving Rachel to wonder how mean the Cheerio could be just to get Rachel to ask her out.

She found out a period later: _very_ mean.

Ms. Pillsbury was in near hysterics at the sight of her office. Trash was over every surface of the room, making the redhead slightly crazy over where to begin. Rachel only lingered a moment or two before she hurried off to her next class, furious that Quinn would stoop so low.

And yet…the Cheerio had plans to go lower.

Towards the end of their first week of school, Quinn had managed to humiliate every single member of McKinley's staff, save Coach Sylvester, in a personal and painful manner. Figgins had been attacked by a gang of "vampires" in his office. Coach Beiste's office was decorated with jockstraps, and Quinn even went after Mr. Schuester, removing all the tires from his car! Random Slushie attacks plagued McKinley's student body, and no one felt safe walking down the halls.

The glee club spoke of nothing else but Quinn's brutal behavior that no one understood. And she was captain of the Cheerios again. Usurping Santana brutally that culminating in a fight that Rachel witnessed, horrified at the enormous clash of McKinley's two biggest titans. (Hey, look at that, I just punned, McKinley's mascot is the titans.)

She didn't know who the blonde was anymore. Because of their busy schedules, the only time they really got a chance to talk and see one another was first thing in the mornings when Quinn picked Rachel up. The blonde would say nothing about each outlandish outfit Rachel would wear, or her ultra-diva-like behavior each glee practice that Rachel hoped would tip the scales and make Quinn crack. But nothing worked.

By Thursday, Rachel out-right refused to get into Quinn's car for the ride to school, and proceeded to walk the whole way as the blonde slowly drove beside her, pleading that the brunette get in the car.

But Rachel was horrified by Quinn's behavior. She assumed that the blonde was named captain solely by her horrendous deeds and found herself actually agreeing with Finn Hudson as he talked her ear off about the blonde Thursday in glee practice.

"I mean, Rachel…you _actually_ want to be _friends_ with that girl?" He asked, as they waited for Mr. Schue to begin. "First _Santana_ and now this? Being friends with _Quinn_? Is it so important for you to be popular you don't care anymore about people's _feelings?" _It was the first time he had brought up both Santana and Quinn, and one of the few times he had spoken to her; still embarrassed by Rachel's wardrobe and over-all glee behavior.

He kept whispering in her ear about how much better a friend he was than Quinn, how he could make her happier than Santana ever could, and repeating that he loved her and would make a great boyfriend.

Between his pleas, he would break-off into long-winded rants about how he couldn't understand why she even slept with Santana. It continued all through glee until she spat back that he too had slept with Santana—unsure why she was even lying about the Latina and herself—and Finn abruptly stopped his pleading.

It wasn't until the end of glee that Rachel finally figured it all out when she went to the Cheerios' locker room. She had decided, grudgingly, that Finn was right. She was sadly going to put an end to her and Quinn's relationship, even though she cried whenever she thought about it. Well…either that or beg the blonde to be her girlfriend if she'd stop her behavior.

But things couldn't continue on like they were; watching the blonde hurt people so savagely and unremorsefully. In fact, one of the only few people Quinn _hadn't_ hurt was Rachel…and the brunette thought that it was only a matter of time before she'd do that as well. For God's shake, she even hurt _Brittany!_ Quinn had stolen Brittany's stuffed duck from the blonde's locker and wrote a ransom note that Rachel had to help Brittany read!

Rachel had been silently crying, her body shaking with sobs as she awaited the Cheerios' practice to end so she could confront the blonde, most likely ending it. But that's when she heard it.

"So what did Quinn say?" Rachel didn't recognize the girl talking, but her ears perked up.

"I don't know. Something about us having to pretend to humiliate a bunch of the new Cheerios." _Pretend? _Rachel thought, wiping her eyes and waiting to hear more.

"Why?"

"Don't ask me. Why has she been pretending to torment the whole school all week? She must still have crazy baby hormones or something." The girl concluded until their voices vanished from the locker room.

With fierce nobility, Rachel shot up from the bench she had been sitting on and stalked out of the locker room in a rage as she hungrily sought out the one person who could give her all the answers…and no, _not _Quinn.

"Jacob!" Rachel shrieked, getting the boy to halt where he stood and eagerly turned towards Rachel. "I want to know _everything_ that Quinn Fabray has been doing this week and I want details _now!" _

Jacob had proceeded to explain that every person in the school who had been tormented that week had been in on it. Every student, every teacher, _everyone_ except for Rachel. No one _knew_ that each attack was simulated, only their own, but of course Jacob knew the full story.

"So Quinn didn't _really _set fire to your hair…or you allowed her to?" Rachel questioned skeptically. Jacob ducked his head as he cleared his throat.

"Well…no, that was real, but everything else was fake." Jacob admitted as he lightly touched his fro…or what was left of it.

Rachel was enraged! She had been played. She had been played _hard. _ She couldn't believe she fell for it! She was _this_ close to ending the relationship…and even closer to just asking Quinn to be her girlfriend…hoping she'd avoid breaking things off all together.

The brunette didn't know what she should do first, what was the proper way to extract her revenge? Her over-the-top outfits weren't doing the trick. Her obnoxious behavior in glee barely made Quinn bat an eyelash.

She momentarily considered making the blonde jealous by means of Finn...but Quinn never did anything to directly hurt Rachel, and she didn't want to start the trend so she dismissed that idea. But she needed to figure _something_ out, some way to truly and _thoroughly_ humiliate Quinn into cracking.

After a little prodding—read: Rachel grabbed the front of Jacob's shirt and threatened him—the terrified boy went on to explain that truly no one had been harmed all week. Quinn and Santana's fight had been staged, the Cheerios—along with a very excited Ms. Pillsbury—spent hours after school cleaning up the councilor's office, the blonde got a wicked good deal from Mr. Hummel for a set of four brand new tires for Mr. Schue, and every Slushied kid in the school got the word of the reinstated head Cheerio that they'd never be Slushied again.

Rachel was stunned. And slightly impressed, but she would never admit it. Quinn was _very_ good at this game, well…Rachel would just have to be better.

"Jacob," Rachel said slowly, releasing the boy's shirt and smoothing it out as she batted her eyelashes at him. "You're still keeping up with your blog, correct?" The diva asked, smiling her best as the boy swooned.

"Of course." He told Rachel, pushing his glasses up and grinning back.

"As I'm sure you're aware, there have been quite a few rumors going on about me and a certain fiery Latina." Jacob nodded enthusiastically and went to open his mouth but Rachel halted whatever disgusting thing that was about to come out of his mouth by raising her hand. "I don't want to hear your opinions on it, Jacob. I want you to run a story. I want you to listen to me _very_ closely and not mince my words. Do you understand?"

"What do I get out of it?" He asked with a leer. Rachel saw this coming as she folded her arms across her chest as stared threateningly at the boy.

"You get to keep the remainder of your hair, Jacob. Now come on, I want you to run this story tonight." She demanded as she yanked the sleeve of his shirt towards an empty classroom.

Rachel had been waiting for the call all night. She had gotten several text messages from her glee friends—save Finn and Santana, and of course Quinn—over Jacob's latest blog post, but she was pacing her room in anticipation for the blonde's.

A few blocks away, Quinn was finishing up her shower and wringing her hair as her eyes caught her cell lighting up. She absentmindedly picked it up and crossed her bedroom to turn on the TV and it wasn't until she was comfortable in bed did she flick the cell open: _47 NEW MSGS_, the screen informed her. Quinn blanched at the number—silently hoping they weren't all from Rachel, which wouldn't be too unusual—before she started to go through them.

With each new message, Quinn would sit up a little more in bed, her eyes getting increasingly larger, her eyebrow quirking a tad higher, and her blood boiling a lot hotter. Once she got to the twentieth message, she could no longer sit still.

She jumped out of bed and almost slammed her phone against the wall. She paced angrily as she planned her next move, flinging her hair up in a ponytail without realizing she was getting into character. She was almost out the front door when she stopped, not really sure what she _could_ do. After a few calming breaths, Quinn returned to her bedroom and soothed herself with a slow jam before she turned on her laptop and casually went to Jacob's blog.

_Hudson vs. Lopez: Whose the better bedder or the lazy lay? _

_My sources—who shall remain nameless—have been hitting the streets over the latest McKinley poll. A certain sexy diva is in the midst of the feud, treading over the hearts of McKinley's two most popular students with sharp Baby Jane stilettos attached to mile-long legs. Finn Hudson, who readily admits to still being in love with one Rachel Berry, must be brokenhearted that the sassy brunette gave it up to the recently de-throwned Santana Lopez. But the Latina shouldn't count her chickens on one-upping the quarterback before they're SNATCHed, because this source just scooped that Berry _won't_ be going back for seconds. _

_When I asked brunette if she had plans to score with Mistress of Darkness again, Berry admitted that it 'wasn't very memorable the first time.' Lopez was unavailable for comment—side note: donations for Jimmy Planks' recovery, after sustaining serious injuries while trying to get a quote for this story, are to be sent to his parents . Our prayers are with you, Jimmy—but my sources confirmed that SATAN was less than pleased by Berry's remarks. _

_One must wonder: why go to the ex-head Cheerio when you have FRANKENTEEN as a boy-toy, and who will Berry berry next on her quest to sexual fulfillment? This journalist can only hope his subsequent blog will taste like stawBERRYs; Ain't too proud to pluck already ripened fruit. _

_Check back with updates all week as the feud continues…_

Quinn slowly closed her laptop with shaky hands and pushed her palms up on her desk until she was standing on wobbly legs.

_First things first, _Quinn thought calmly as she went to her bedside table and retracted the lighter she had inside. _Finish what I started with Jacob Ben-Israel._ She flicked the Bic as her anger built, fueling her downstairs and out the door without her even realizing it. _Next_, the blonde ticked off as she slammed her car door and put the vehicle in reverse. _Kill Santana Lopez with my bare hands._ She stepped on the gas a little harder as she gripped the steering wheel. _Then, _Quinn flew passed the stopped sign without pause and gunned the engine further. _Ring Rachel's neck! _

Quinn had actually only been a block away from Jacob's before she slammed on her breaks and remembered that she _couldn't_ do any of those things. Why would Quinn Fabray care if Rachel Berry slept with Santana Lopez? Why would Quinn Fabray care if Finn Hudson was feuding with the Latina? Why would Quinn Fabray care about the story _at all?_

The blonde groaned and flung her head back against the car seat in irritation and frustration. The Quinn Fabray McKinley knew _shouldn't_ care, but the Quinn Fabray Rachel Berry knew _did_ care. A lot. And Jacob had promised updates! What updates? What could possibly become of this story of complete fiction?

This time Quinn smacked her head against the steering wheel, groaning loudly as she realized that glee was tomorrow. There were sure to be _plenty_ to update once Santana, Finn, and Rachel all shared a room.

Rachel was deliciously pleased with her plan; it was full-proof. She made no comments about Finn, so as not to hurt him; she and Santana never slept together, so quoting it as unmemorable was hardly a slight; and she neither confirmed nor denied anything, therefore she came out smelling like a rose. Only Jacob knew that the story was Rachel's idea, and they had a deal going where the diva wouldn't throw him under a literal bus if he updated the blog every day with new promised "details."

The cucumber-cool blonde wouldn't know what hit her. She'd have to sit there and watch Finn and Santana argue it out over Rachel and act as though it didn't affect her. Rachel grinned mischievously at the thought. Watching Quinn squirm would be interesting. It was only a matter of time before the blonde cracked. 

**Friday: First period, English Lit. **

"…You're just jealous that she came to me, ya fuckin' moron, too fuckin' stupid to keep your girl satisfied!"

"The way Rachel tells it, you didn't do a very good job of that either!"

"She came to me first didn't she, and I _assure_ you, she _did_ _come!" _

"Rachel wouldn't _touch_ you, you're so diseased!"

"Didn't hear you complaining, Hudson, crying like a bitch after you gave it up!"

**Friday: Third period, hallway outside of the caf. **

"She fuckin moaned my name like she was belting her heart out at Nationals, Hudson, 'oh mami, harder, harder!'"

"I'm gonna make you pay for that, Lopez!"

"What'ya gonna do about it, Hudson, serenade me to death? You aren't man enough to touch me, just ask Berry!"

**Friday: Fifth period, caf. **

"Berry needs to learn some respect, when I fucking get done with her, she's gonna know her place is under me, whinnying as I reverse cowgirl her ass!"

….

"I can't believe Rachel would _touch_ her! This is ridiculous! And the guys on the team wouldn't freaking let _up_ about it!"

…

"I have _no_ idea where manhands gets the fuck off saying _I'm_ unmemorable! I _created_ memorable! I'm a freaking memorial!"

**Friday: Eighth period, room 213. **

"You didn't deny it."

"I didn't un-deny it, either."

…

…

…

"You do _realize_ what you did, right? What you caused?"

"I honestly don't understand what the big deal is? Santana lied, she deserves what she got. Finn acts as though I'm _his_ and that everyone else pales in comparison just because he's _Finn Hudson_, God forbid I make friends or am romantically linked to someone else!"

"I thought we weren't going to hurt, Finn, Rachel! I thought we had a plan!"

"It wasn't my fault that Jacob started the story, Quinn. Just like it wasn't _your_ fault that over half the school has spent the last week living in fear."

…

…

…

"Who told you?"

"I don't have the faintest idea of what you are referring, but I vehemently deny all charges against me."

…

…

…

"You do realize that this means war?"

"I wasn't aware we were in a time of peace."

…

…

…

"I hate that you're so incredibly sexy to me right now."

"We can be a little late for glee; something tells me that Mr. Schue is going to need a moment to calm some members down."

**Friday: Glee practice. **

Quinn's eyes were tightly shut as she clutched at her chair and sucked on her teeth, rocking back and forth as she attempted to not propel herself across the room and _kill_ Finn Hudson.

He was currently crooning his little heart out in front of club to _Let's Get it On_ by Marvin Gaye. His smiling, beady eyes never left Rachel the entire time. Once he finished, to a round of applause, Santana jumped up and thrust sheet music over to Brad and the band before smirked smugly at Finn and then winked at Rachel.

Quinn doubled her efforts to stay in her chair.

Santana flipped her Cheerio's skirt as the opening beats sounded, still smirking as she shimmied around the front of the room sexily to her catcalling audience. Quinn's jaw was starting to hurt from clenching it, recognizing the song instantly and having the insane urge to club someone and drag Rachel away.

Because the Latina was currently purring the Pussycat Doll's _Don't Cha_, inserting boyfriend at all the appropriate parts instead of girlfriend, as she sauntered around Rachel and licked her lips a whole lot.

After Santana wrapped up her overly-sexual performance that ended in straddling Rachel's lap as she smirked at a fuming Finn, the boy vaulted himself out of his chair and hurriedly handed out his next selection—folding his arms across his broad chest with his eyes narrowed and his lips puckered together like he was seriously pissed as he awaited the band to kick in.

Quinn was actually pleased with Finn's song choice, feeling as though it showed signs that Finn might not be _so_ upset when and if he eventually found out about her and Rachel. He chose _Anyone But Him_—of course changing out the him with her—by Mr. Hudson—somehow Quinn felt Finn's decision to sing the unfamiliar song was because of the artist's name more than the meaning of the lyrics—but she wasn't surprised by his unoriginality.

It was at that point, after Finn wrapped up and Santana was again in front of the glee club, that Mr. Schue went to intervene. Quinn didn't catch the look Santana threw their glee moderator, but by how quickly he backed away, the blonde was fairly certain the saying "if looks could kill," applied in this situation.

Santana went on to sing then Finn countered and although Mr. Schue still wanted to stop the utter madness, the other members were so enthralled that he didn't object _too_ much.

Quinn could tell that Rachel wasn't really happy with how things were playing out. Every time Santana went near the diva, Rachel seemed highly uncomfortable and avoided looking at the Latina. When Finn would belt out a number, Rachel's shoulders were tense and she'd just drop her gaze to the floor out of guilt.

This was the only reason Quinn hadn't yet hit the dueling singers with blunt objects before throwing Rachel over her shoulder and growling at anyone who attempted to come near her or her brunette. All around her the glee kids were on their feet cheering and clapping along, sometimes singing and dancing, or catcalling and shrieking in delight. But the blonde sat very still in her chair, commanding herself not to move, or speak, or even open her eyes too often, because the burning jealousy that was bubbling inside of her was like the Mauna Loa volcano just _begging_ to erupt.

But if Rachel could put up with it, so could Quinn. And Quinn _would_ put up with it, because she knew that Rachel was waiting for the blonde to ask her to be her girlfriend; it was the only way it would end.

For the billionth time Quinn wondered why Santana was _still_ going along with the rumor, but she surmised that it was now a matter of pride for the Latina. Of course Quinn _knew_ what was coming next—it was another reason she was seriously considering just asking Rachel. Because Santana Lopez _loved_ to win, she _loved_ to be the best, and she _loved _her reputation. It was _when_ not _if_ Santana would make the move on Rachel, and a very large part of Quinn wondered if Rachel would go through with it or not.

She had no idea whether Rachel was even interested in Santana. But it would be another bargaining chip for the diva; ask me or I sleep with Santana. And although Quinn couldn't picture Rachel ever saying that, what was unsaid was just as bad. Here there were, two _very_ popular, attractive people fighting over the brunette. Rachel was wanted. If Quinn couldn't pop the question, someone else would.

And besides, the blonde didn't know how long she could stand watching Finn and Santana sing to Rachel like they had the right to. Talk about her the way they were. Even _think_ that they had a chance! She would just have to do it, throw in the towel. Rachel wins.

Rachel didn't feel very much like a winner though, as she sat through yet another song aimed at her. Over her shoulder she could see how miserable Quinn looked and she deflated with each deep sigh the blonde breathed out or tortured twist the Cheerio took in her seat. Maybe she had gone too far? She wasn't so much worried about Santana or Finn, their display was atrocious and she was feeling less and less willing to spare her exes' feelings with each solo he sang.

Yes, she was still puzzled by Santana, but that was the last thing on her mind. She wanted to make it up to Quinn. If winning this round meant hurting Quinn, Rachel wanted no parts of it. She wasn't sure if the blonde would crack or not, but Rachel was slightly anxious wondering what would happen if Quinn _didn't _crack_._ What would the Cheerio counteract with? Rachel actually _feared_ the wrath Quinn would lay down—not on Rachel of course—but surely Finn and Santana and the rest of the school would suffer at the hands of the blonde.

No, she'd rather just be done with this whole mess, put her pride aside, and ask Quinn to be her girlfriend; it was the sane thing to do, and what Rachel ultimately wanted.

Santana had just started a new song, one that had everyone on their feet cheering loudly to, when Quinn had enough. She jumped out of her seat and made a beeline for the door; she was almost positive that watching Santana fawn all over Rachel would send her into a rage blackout. "Where the hell do you think you're going, blondie? I'm singing here!" Santana demanded, but Quinn ignored her and slammed the door to the choir room roughly behind her.

Rachel leapt from her seat and went after Quinn, ignoring the Latina's attempts to dance with her as she went. Rachel didn't have to search for the blonde, however, because Quinn was breathing heavily against a row of lockers just outside the choir room. "I'm so sorry!" They both exclaimed when they caught sight of one another.

"No! I'm sorry!" They repeated at the same time as they met one another in the middle of the hallway.

"Stop apologizing!" They demanded of the other, their voices overlapping.

"Be my girlfriend!" They shouted at the same time, both of their faces screwed up in looks of deep concentration.

"No! You be _my_ girlfriend!" Rachel and Quinn yelled simultaneously.

"No! I'm asking _you!_"

"I'm not accepting!"

"Just be my girlfriend!"

"Not until you agree to be _my_ girlfriend!"

"I was such a bitch this week!"

"I completely stepped over the line!"

"Be my girlfriend!"

"You be _my_ girlfriend!"

"You are _so_ stubborn!"

"You are so selfish!"

"I am _not_ selfish! _You_ are just ashamed to be with me! You'd rather people think you slept with _Santana_ than me!"

"Just be my girlfriend!"

"No! You be _my_ girlfriend!"

"You are insufferable, Quinn Fabray!"

"You're unbearable, Rachel Berry!"

"Well I'm not agreeing to be your girlfriend until you stop being _so_ selfish and agree to be _my_ girlfriend!"

"Well I'm not agreeing to be your girlfriend until you stop being _so_ embarrassed of me and agree to be _my_ girlfriend!" They glared at each other for only a moment before they both spun on their heels and retreated down the hallway in different directions.

Friday night was silent in the Fabray house, Judy unsure of why her daughter was acting so surly. For the past three months, Quinn had been the happiest she had ever seen her, so why was she so miserable? Quinn wouldn't talk about it, so they just silently watched TV before the younger blonde retreated to her bedroom early.

Rachel pouted all throughout dinner and didn't say a word after she lost epically at Scrabble. She just tossed her letter tiles into the bag before retreating to her room.

Saturday had been much like Friday evening, neither girl talking but both seemingly depressed. By Sunday afternoon, after church, Judy had had enough. "You're fighting with Rachel, aren't you?" She asked her quiet daughter during their brunch out.

"Am I selfish?" Quinn suddenly asked, pushing away her plate to look up at her mother.

"Quinnie, where would you get an idea like that? Did Rachel call you selfish?" Quinn nodded a little. "I find it hard to believe that Rachel thinks you're selfish, she's very smitten with you. And also because you _aren't_ selfish. What happen, honey?"

Quinn quickly recapped everything for her mother and Judy tried her best to hide her smiles behind her Bloody Mary. "Quinnie, it doesn't sound like she thinks you're _actually_ selfish, she just wants you to agree to a serious relationship. It's what you want, isn't it?"

The blonde nodded slowly as she swirled her spoon around her now cold coffee. "Am I right in believing that you want Rachel to be the one to ask you because of everything you went through last year and all the things you've done for her over the summer?" Quinn was a little confused as to how Judy read her so easily, but nodded. "Then just show her you aren't selfish dear."

Judy thought it was an open and shut case, thoroughly proud by her advice. She didn't think what she had told her daughter could be construed in any which way but positive, but Quinn took the advice in a different direction.

As for Rachel, all Sunday she spent wondering if she was really unconsciously ashamed of Quinn. In the beginning of their courtship, the diva had often wondered if the blonde would hurt her—if Quinn would be a bad girlfriend. But, as it turned out, the Cheerio was just the opposite. And sure, Quinn had never asked her out on an _official_ date, but she had been very sweet to Rachel and made her feelings obvious even if she had yet to declare her love.

Quinn was good at _showing_ her feelings, but Rachel wanted Quinn to be more open verbally. A part of Rachel wondered, as she paced her bedroom furiously, if the blonde would be more receptive if she really and truly knew that Rachel wanted to be with her—that the brunette honestly wanted no one else. Keeping her feelings towards Quinn quiet had started all because she was worried that the blonde would hurt her. Now that Rachel realized that Quinn _wouldn't_, Rachel didn't feel much like hiding any longer. There was Finn to think about, but after his hideous display in glee—more worried about his image once again—Rachel didn't at all feel like sparing the boy's feelings.

Both girls spent Sunday coming up with a way to prove to the other that they were serious—Rachel's plan involving showing Quinn she wasn't ashamed of her while the blonde decided on a move that would express her selflessness and changed ways.

Rachel didn't want to do it, missing Quinn terribly, but texted the blonde late Sunday that she would find her own way to school Monday morning; her plan needed the element of surprise and so Quinn couldn't see her until school time. She was also going to have to hurry if she wanted to make it to the _Place & Print_ on time.

Quinn Fabray replayed her plan over and over again in her head despite how nervous and thoroughly apprehensive she was about it. She knew that she'd pay for it, but also knew that in the end, it would be worth it. She walked down the halls of McKinley high school with a weight in the pit of her stomach; but that was mostly due to the fact that she had missed Rachel. They had hardly seen each other all week and the weekend was wasted by not speaking.

"Hey, B." Quinn smiled at Brittany and the two walked down the hallway together in silence. Quinn wondered where Santana was, but Mercedes quickly joined the pair and the three of them continued their journey to their respective lockers.

"Where ya been, girl? I blew up your cell all weekend?" Mercedes asked as she lounged against some lockers as Quinn stuffed some books in her bag.

"Just busy with my mom." It wasn't a lie, she had spent all weekend with Judy, but she had hardly been busy.

"I haven't had sex in weeks." Mercedes and Quinn looked over at Brittany as she stared blankly ahead. After it was obvious the blonde wasn't going to continue talking, Mercedes and Quinn exchanged confused looks before they started chatting again.

"What's that about?" Mercedes wondered, looking down the long hallway. Quinn turned to glance in the same direction, only to see a crowd of people down the hall. The blonde just shrugged and shut her locker.

"Did you have a good weekend?" Mercedes didn't answer, though, too consumed in whatever was happening down the way. Again, Quinn followed her friend's gaze. There were a lot of cheering and whooping taking place at the opposite side of the hall, but wasn't too interested until the seas started to part.

Amongst the crowd, a lone figure emerged with her head held high and a secretive smirk on her face. "What's up with Rachel?" Mercedes asked out loud as she, Quinn, and Brittany watched the diva strut away from the group of catcalling boys and sashayed down the hallway with purpose.

It was the complete look of smugness that worried Quinn. Rachel definitely looked up to something and the Cheerio was slightly nervous. But she was also just happy to see Rachel. She took in her long, wavy hair and warm, brown eyes. The blonde smiled as she watched Rachel's lips stretch into her own grin at the sight of Quinn, and felt her heart thud heavily as Rachel walked towards them.

"Hi, Quinn." Rachel purred as she approached, and lowered the books that she had held tightly to her chest. The blonde was almost too distracted by the tight t-shirt to catch the words that were printed on it, but although she really enjoyed Rachel's body, the script was hard to miss and on seeing it, Quinn crashed back into her locker and gasped loudly.

Mercedes' gasp almost eclipsed Quinn's, but Rachel had heard it and only smirked broader. "See you at glee, Quinn." Rachel burred again, winking at the blonde before she continued strutting down the hallway, swinging her hips in her short skirt as she went, with a heard of boys following.

"Oh my, God." Quinn breathed out, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"Girl, is Rachel wearing a t-shirt that says _Gay for Fabray?_ I read that right, right?" And in case you missed the front of the shirt, which _no one_ except Brittany had, the back of the t-shirt declared: _Very Gay_, just in case you didn't get the point.

Quinn was only vaguely aware that people were surrounding her, throwing out questions and laughter, but the blonde Cheerio's eyes were still trained on Rachel's back where _Very Gay_ was glaring at her like a seductive wink.

Quinn swallowed hard as she detangled herself from the crowd that had formed around her, stumbling to homeroom in a daze. When Finn confronted her outside the classroom, she was too caught up in Rachel's dramatic declaration to hear a word the boy had said to her. She maneuvered around him as though he were a statue and collapsed into her seat in a fog.

The second time she had seen Rachel, the brunette was still smirking as she passed the stunned blonde in the hallway, still sporting the t-shirt and strutting like a peacock. _Gay for Fabray_ stretched out against Rachel's chest just as effectively as Sue Sylvester's bullhorn, traveling around McKinley like wildfire and echoing against the hallways in a brazen message.

Quinn was sure her teachers had taught that day, but it fell on deaf ears for the blonde, too busy ignoring the rapid questions that were flung at her in a wave of excitement and gossip that made absolutely no sense to Quinn. She just couldn't believe Rachel had done it!

Right before lunch, Santana had caught up to Quinn, not noticing how the blonde walked down the hallways as though she were wearing blinders, and angrily demanded that Quinn explain herself. The Latina had growled and screamed and for all intense and purposes, she mind as well been yelling at a row of lockers for all the blonde heard.

Rachel had done it. She had made it very clear where her affections lie and it had been _very_ effective. No one discussed anything _but_ Rachel's t-shirt. Jacob had already updated his blog recounting Santana's and Finn's angry yelps at the unfazed diva, and had a headline—_Lopez and Hudson: Alone in their Lustin'_—that had all of McKinley gossiping about.

"See, Quinn, not ashamed." Rachel had said as she walked passed the still amazed blonde and into the caf; ducking away from Finn and his hoodie he was attempting to drape over the diva's shoulders as she went. Quinn shook her head to clear it and followed the brunette through the doors to the lunch room. Many boys applauded Rachel as she passed them, sitting next to Tina at the glee table but still smirking at Quinn as to say: _your move_. Rachel had thrown down the gauntlet and it took the blonde a moment to remember she had her own plan to execute.

She again ignored the many questions that were thrown at her in the crowd caf, but instead gave Rachel her own challenging smirk. Rachel swallowed heavily once she saw Quinn's smile; knowing that the blonde had something up her sleeve as well. "Still think I'm selfish?" The blonde asked Rachel as she leaned over the lunch table. Tina, Artie, Mike, Puck, Mercedes, Kurt, and Brittany all watched the exchange with trepidation. They knew that Quinn and Rachel had become friends over the summer, but surely Quinn Fabray wouldn't let the diva get away with the t-shirt? Surely Quinn would retaliate with some kind of evil gesture?

When Quinn didn't get a response out of the slightly nervous brunette, she smirked again and pushed away the trays of food that lined the lunch room table. "Quinn, what are you doing?" Rachel asked anxiously as she watched the blonde step onto a chair and then onto the table.

"Shhh, I'm being selfless." Quinn whispered down to the diva, her smirk growing. "Can I have everyone's attention?" The blonde shouted to the noisy caf. She had barely been on the table when everyone went silent; after all, the head Cheerio and most popular girl in the school usually garnered everyone's attention quite easily.

"Today, and for today _only_, I have a gift for all of you." She told the quiet room, turning her head around towards all the tables as she stood on top of her own with her hands on her hips. Everyone was silent as they waited for what the blonde would say next, Rachel looking up at Quinn fearfully along with the rest of the glee members. "Your gift is that you will be able, and for _only_ today, do something I'm sure most of you have wanted to do for the last two years!" Quinn told the caf, folding her arms across her chest and flicking her long, blonde ponytail with arrogance yet still managed to appear poised.

"You have my permission to Slushie the head Cheerio as many times as your little heart desires! But for _only_ today." Quinn reiterated to a stunned audience. "Absolutely _nothing_ will happen to you if you Slushie me. In fact, you're _welcomed_ to do so! I _encourage _it!" Rachel blinked up at Quinn, mouth hanging open. "So…who's got the balls to be the first one, huh?" The Cheerio asked, beckoning them all forward with her hands and a smirk.

"Hell yeah!" Karofsky squealed, jumping up from his chair with a Slushie already in hand.

"I knew it would be you, Karofsky." Quinn said, smiling and rolling her eyes. "Come on, let's see what ya got." She baited him. "You guys will probably want to get out of the way." She told her glee club members, looking down at them briefly before turning back to Karofsky and holding out her arms.

"Let's see if your aim is better than it is in hockey, Karofsky." She told the boy who was standing in front of her smirking.

The caf erupted into gasps as Karofsky tossed the Slushie at Quinn, who took it honorably. She smiled as she wiped the ice from her eyes. "Whose next?" She asked the shocked caf.

Slowly, a few more students stood up and threw the cold drink at the head Cheerio. A totally of seven Slushies were tossed onto Quinn in the caf alone. "You have the rest of the day to enjoy this, McKinely, so make it count!" The blonde dared her peers before hopping off the completely doused tabletop and strutted out of the caf with her head held high and a puddle of different flavored Slushies trailing behind her.

"What the _hell_ has gotten into her?" Mercedes said to no one in particular as she and the other glee members watched Quinn leave.

Rachel just gawked, completely astonished at what just took place. The brunette proceeded to witness several more Slushie attacks throughout the day. Each time Quinn would be Slushied, Rachel would wince harshly. To make matters worse, the blonde refused to change in between attacks, but instead, shivered and slopped to each classroom, her skin slightly dyed a multitude of colors by now, with a fanatic Emma Pillsbury trailing behind her attempting to clean up the mess.

McKinley was in a buzz throughout the day—between Rachel's t-shirt and Quinn's challenge, there was little else to discuss. "Please, please, please, stop this, Quinn!" Rachel pleaded as she followed behind the shivering blonde.

"Nope." Quinn said as they walked into the choir room. After the caf, every time Rachel saw the blonde she begged the same thing. But to no avail. Mr. Schue stared at Quinn for a solid minute before the Cheerio asked him if he was ready to start rehearsals.

"Huh…yeah, okay. Does anyone have a song they'd like to sing before we start?" Mr. Schue asked, not taking his wide eyes off of Quinn as he spoke. To nobody's surprise, Finn jumped up and stood in front of the class. He was staring at Rachel through narrowed eyes, his gaze dropping down to the words on the diva's shirt before he passed out his sheet music.

"I have something I'd like to sing, Mr. Schue."

"Of course you do, Finn." Will said with a deep sigh, but motioned for Finn to continue. Surprisingly, however, he didn't hand out sheet music, but inserted a CD into the player. When the song began, Rachel twisted in her chair to quickly catch Quinn's eye; both of them absolutely astonished by Finn's choice.

As Finn glared daggers at Rachel while singing _You Oughta Know _by Alanis Morissette, everyone was extremely uncomfortable. But what shocked the glee club even more was when Santana jumped in and belted out the second verse; it was apparently a duet. And by the way they harmonized and traded lines, they had practiced. Quinn buried her face in her arms, hiding her laughter behind her corn syrup-soaked pony, as tears ran down her pale cheeks in amusement. Why the hell Santana Lopez was singing a duet with Finn Hudson _to Rachel Berry_ was anyone's guess, but it was funny as hell. Especially because the song was so ardent.

It would go down in the books as _the_ strangest day in McKinley's high school history.

Sue Sylvester was so thoroughly livid with Quinn for getting her Cheerio's uniform drenched and dyed with Slushies, that she wouldn't let the girl shower or change before or after practice; Quinn was freezing throughout every wind-sprint and pyramid, but took her punishment silently. But by the time she arrived at Rachel's later that night, she was convinced she was hypothermic.

Rachel answered her front door anxiously—long since over the intimidating red, white, and black of the cheerleading uniform—and quickly ushered Quinn upstairs to her bathroom. The brunette stripped the shaking Quinn out of the Slushied attire and helped the blonde into the shower before quickly removing her own clothes.

It took over ten minutes for Quinn to stop shivering as Rachel washed the frozen icicles out of the long, blonde hair, and a further ten minutes of harsh scrubbing before Quinn's skin started to return to its normal pastel. Once the blonde's hazel eyes started to hold warmth, Rachel pulled her close as the water sprayed down on them and kissed the skin near her lips. "You are ridiculously stubborn, Quinn Fabray."

"That was quite a t-shirt, Rachel Berry." The blonde hummed back. They apologized to each other without words, dancing and caressing beneath the warm mist until they were sated. Just as quietly, Rachel lead Quinn down the stairs and positioned her on the couch, burying the blonde under blankets, before she took off for the kitchen.

"Why did you want to eat?" The brunette asked, flipping through take-out menus before looking over at Quinn resting on the couch.

"Whatever." The blonde answered back, snuggling deeper into the warmth as her eyes stayed trained on the TV. Rachel grinned as she remembered the restaurant the two had dined at on their first unofficial date in early August. She quickly flipped through the phone book until she found the number and waited until the host answered the phone, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched Quinn on the couch from the kitchen.

"I would like to place an order for pick-up." Rachel said, her eyes scanning the restaurant's menu in the phone book.

"_I'm sorry, but we do not _do_ pick-ups_." The host sounded anything but sorry, and Rachel bit back a retort as she rolled her eyes.

"Fine, we'll just come in." Rachel was about to hang up the phone but the host stopped her.

"_We don't _do_ walk ins either_." He spit back. "_You must make a reservation_." The diva huffed but complied.

"Fine. I would like to make a reservation for seven o'clock." At this, however, the host just chuckled.

"_Honey, we've been booked solid for months_." Rachel scoffed and sucked her teeth.

"I know for a _fact_ that that's not true. In early August my girlfriend and I walked in there and got a table almost immediately." Again the host laughed, this time more openly.

"_I assure you, _sweetheart_, it wasn't here_. _We only _do_ reservations and we've been booked since we've opened._" The host disconnected the line but Rachel's cell was still at her ear long after the dial tone sounded. With wide, confused eyes, Rachel observed Quinn. The blonde was quietly resting her head on a pillow with her gaze glued to the TV. She looks so vulnerable and relaxed, completely unaware that she was being watched.

Without another thought, Rachel quickly found the number in her phone and pushed send. It only rang twice before the familiar voice of Burt Hummel answered.

"Mr. Hummel, this is Rachel Berry, I am in glee club-"

"_I know who you are, Rachel, you were over my house a million times this summer, how are you?"_ He asked with a laugh.

"I am doing quite well, thank you, but I need to ask you a very important question that may or may not be all together legal; I'm not familiar with your patron confidentiality clause, but I assure you, my query extremely urgent and-" Again Burt was laughing.

"_What did ya wanna ask me, Rachel_?"

"Did Quinn Fabray take her vehicle into your shop with complaints that it was overheating?" There was a short pause before Burt sighed.

"_Nope, Judy's daughter hasn't been over. Why? Has it been acting up?" _Rachel managed to let out a squeak before thanking the man and disconnecting. She was pretty sure she knew what was going on, but she had one more phone call to make.

Judy Fabray answered on the first ring, slightly out of breath and anxious. "_Rachel, is everything okay?"_ It was highly unusual for Rachel to be calling her.

"Everything is fine, Judy, I just had a quick question for you." Rachel stated, her eyes solely focused on the oblivious blonde in the next room. The diva stared at Quinn with deep affection before she remembered she was on the phone with Mrs. Fabray. "Did Russell and Quinn partake in the anal golf outing for the Children's hospital each year?"

Whatever Judy was expecting, this wasn't it. After a slight pause, the older blonde cleared her throat. "_Um, well Russell did, but Quinnie hasn't played golf since she was in middle school. They did, however, often do the father/daughter outings, but that was years ago. Why do you ask?"_

"Quinn lead me to believe that she needed golf practice twice a week over the summer so she could participate in the outing." Rachel held her breath as she awaited Judy's response, still staring at Quinn in awe. But on the other line, Judy chuckled.

"_So you've figured it out, huh_?" Rachel's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

"_Quinn doesn't drink Sue Sylvester's shakes, Rachel. Her car is in fine working order and she hates golf. What she does like, is you. She can just be a little shy when it comes to her feelings." _Rachel was dazed. She thanked the woman and quickly got off the phone, but remained in the kitchen with her hands on the island to support her shaking knees. Quinn yawned from the couch, her long eyelashes fluttered a few times before she sat up and stretched.

Slowly, Rachel left the kitchen and entered the living room, her heart racing as she gazed at the blonde. "What are we eating?" Quinn mumbled as she rolled her shoulders, finding the documentary on TV very interesting and hoping she wouldn't have to get off the couch until much later.

Rachel cleared her throat and slid onto the couch until she was nestled behind Quinn. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist and buried her face in Quinn's neck before kissing it a few times. "Be my girlfriend." The brunette stated, her eyes closed as her heart swelled with the realization that Quinn went out of her way all summer to spend time with Rachel. She may not have been able to directly ask the diva for a date, but she came up with elaborate excuses for it to transpire. And to Rachel, nothing could have been more romantic. Quinn didn't want credit. She didn't want a reward. She had simply gone out of her way to see Rachel.

Quinn slowly turned her head until her eyes found Rachel's. The blonde was caught off-guard by the question and the simple yearning behind it. Quinn nodded a few times, puzzled by the overwhelming look of love in the deep brown before her, and craned her neck to meet the diva's lips.

Later that night, once the Berry men returned home and both Rachel and Quinn snuck out of the diva's bedroom to go to the Fabrays', Quinn whispered "I love you" as they made love. After they lay naked and spent in each other's arms, Rachel held Quinn tightly to her as the blonde opened every single one of Shelby's letter to her, reading them allowed and crying along with the brunette to each, and kissing away tears as they looked down at the dozens of pictures of baby Beth.

It turned out that Quinn didn't need alcohol to open up or give her courage. She only needed Rachel. For the first time ever, the blonde allowed herself to cry over the loss of her daughter. But after each letter and picture was carefully put away, Quinn told Rachel she loved her for the second time, and one of many.


End file.
